Changes
by starsprinkles9604
Summary: Everyone goes through changes...Kristina was no different. What happens when one fateful night puts her slow paced life into the fast lane with Spiderman, with love and truth in the mists?One final major change! Numero 18!! ****COMPLETED****
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the comic book or movies characters.   
  


Note: This is my first attempt at a fan fic so try to keep the hate mail to a minimum…. Sorry people, but there will be another leading lady, not M.J. Fair warning…I've conjured up the character to help get into the groove of the Spider Man universe since I am relatively a newbie. This story is going to be mainly about my character and I know that sounds selfish and should basically shut down the reason of having it under Spider-Man, but I figured I should since it deals with him. This is almost like practice to see if I can get into writing about the Spider-Man characters. If anything, I know this won't go exactly how most people probably want it to, but at this point I don't care because…its all fiction. So sit back and enjoy. Please review this and tell me what you think. Input would be a good thing at this point! 

  
  


A relatively regular looking brunette was walking through Washington Square Park. She was taking her normal path home…walking along the snow filled stony path to a bridge that crossed a man made pond. The cold air hit her face with such a start that she squinted her dark brown eyes to protect them from the weather. The wind soon picked up and picked up one of the many papers she was holding, carrying it right out of her hands. Groaning, she held onto her cloth hat and ran after her paper. That was the third time that day that the wind caught one of her papers. She should have just put them in her book bag, but she was adamant on reading them on her way home. She knew the path well enough to walk straight through it in the dark.  
  


She chased the white sheet onto the same wooden bridge that was part of her trek home. Her face grimaced at the thought of losing it. 'Please don't go over…please don't go over…' The paper flew straight to someone's white K-Swiss. The owner stepped on the paper to stop it from flying all over her feet. Saying a quick prayer of gratitude, she jogged over to the girl. Fixing her hat, she said slightly out of breath, "Thanks f-for stopping my p-paper. That's the third time today it's gotten away from me."  
  


Kim Baker eyed the girl with little interest. Her foot still firmly planted on the paper, she pushed a strand of her blond hair behind her cartilage pierced ear. "Like… I… care."  
  


The girl furrowed her dark eyes inward. "Oh, well…thanks just the same." Bending downward, she sat there for a moment expecting the girl to lift her foot. She looked back up at her with an expectant look on her face. "Would you please lift your foot off of my paper?"   
  


Kim nudged one of her friends and pointed innocently to the sheet. "This paper?"  
  


"Yes…may I have it please?"  
  


"Sure." Kim stooped down, lifted her foot, and picked the paper up. Waiting for the brown haired girl to stand up again, she put it out in front of her. When the girl went to grab it, Kim snatched it back, folded it up, and tossed it behind the owner, in which the wind caught it again. With quick reflexes, the girl scrambled for the paper and caught it before it could fly off of the bridge. She could hear the girl and her friends laughing, but paid it no mind. Blowing her hair out of her face, she turned around and walked toward her former spot.  
  


Kim and her posse were still blocking her off. She was at the end of the bridge and was not about to turn around because of a snob. "Excuse me…" silence, "excuse me!"  
  


Kim turned around lazily again. "WHAT… do you want?"  
  


Placing a hand over her hat so the wind wouldn't catch it, she said, "I'm trying to get by."  
  


Kim cocked her hip to the side and took a stance. "So?"  
  


Smiling falsely, the girl said, "Well…in order for that to happen, you might want to do the thing called…moving?"  
  


Kim folded her arms over her chest. "Make me."   
  


The girl moved one-way…Kim blocked her. She moved one direction again, and Kim blocked her once more. Sighing hard, she blew some loose strands of her hair out of her face. "What do you want?"  
  


"For you to know your place."  
  


"Last time I checked, human beings past the whole feudal era."  
  


"Whatever dweeb." The girl eyed Kim carefully, swallowed her anger, and pushed her way through Kim and her friends. The cold air wiped around her form violently as she walked home by herself.  
  


She soon reached her somewhat costly apartment, compliments of her parents. Peace and quiet…the thing she craved the most. Sighing hard, she shrugged her jacket off and placed on her midnight blue sofa. Her answering machine caught her eye as the red light flashed on it. Rolling her eyes at it, she continued on her previous trail. Her feet their way up the cottony carpet stairs to her bedroom. Glancing around her room, a small sigh of pleasure escaped the pinkish lips. Pleasure because that room seemed to have been one of the few things not touched by the outside world. She stepped out of her shoes and padded across the shiny wooden floor in her socks. She closed her door and turned on her Christmas lights. Her feet soon made their way to her full length mirror. She took out her bobby pins and let her semi curly hair fall to her shoulders. The dark eyes made their way from her flushed cheeks, to her worn dark-brown eyes. What she saw disgusted her. She bared the markings of someone who was constantly being stepped on...as figurative as it sounded to herself, she nearly chuckled when her mind conjured a foot print on her forehead. This was her...someone with very little self-esteem, and someone who was tired of situations...something most people would call life.   
  


Tugging at her hair ruefully, tired shoulders shrugged at its owner's form. With the soft light illuminating the room, she found her blue futon and sat on it while gripping a pillow while her toes swirled around her blue rug. She looked toward the New York skyline that was now full of an array of orange, pink, and light and dark blues. She just shook her head at herself and reveled in the thought that she was surprised at the confrontation she had today. Maybe she just had this uncanny ability to bump into rude, bullyish people…the bitterness lingered on. All she could do was sit alone in her apartment with her mind wondering. Getting up, she turned on her sound system and walked toward her canopy bed. Her body made a quiet swoosh as it landed on silky sheets. The sullen eyes closed slowly as the mellow sounds of the Sneaker Pimps echoed in her ears.   
  
Take me down, 6 underground

The ground beneath your feet

Laid out low, nothing to go 

Nowhere or way to meet

I've got a head full of drought, down here

So far off losing out, round here

Over Ground, watch this space

I'm open to falling from grace  
  


This was Kristina Devun. She was always one to be a loner. Friends…she had no real true ones…at least she didn't think she did. She often tried the whole friendship thing only to have it blow up her face. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.   
  


Calm me down, bring it round

To way high off your street

I can't see, like nothing else

In me, you're better than I wanna be

Don't think cause I understand, I care

Don't think cause I'm talking, we're friends  
  


She grinned bitterly at those last two lyrics. Truer words seemed to have never been spoken in her case. There were some nice people around her, even some people that liked her company, but sometimes even they seemed shady to her. It was probably because of the past that she began judging the people in front of her, which she knew she shouldn't do but was something she couldn't stop doing. There was only one object of her affection, and his eyes were caught with the gaze of another.   
  


Over Ground, watch this space

I'm open to falling from grace

Talk me down, safe and sound

Too strung up to sleep

Wear me out, scream and shout

Swear my time's never cheap

I fake my life like I've lived, too much

I take whatever you're giving, not enough

Over Ground, watch this space

I'm open…  
  


She could never feel like she quite belonged yet she didn't long for the attention that followed it. She was born Creole and raised in Louisiana. When her family moved to New York when she was 15, nobody was there for her to blend in with... She was an ethnicity rare in New York and she found herself looked down on because of it. College was her focal point during high school, the one true hope that things would get better, that all she was was someone stuck in the mediocre and juvenile world of high school, but alas, she was wrong. It was a drag. Instead of being different, it was the same, just on a different level. Just once, she wanted things to favor her instead of going against her like so many things had in the past.   
  


I fake my life like I've lived, too much

I take whatever you're giving, not enough

Over Ground, watch this space

I'm open…to falling from grace...  
  


Drifting to sleep, her last thought was that she wanted more out of life, she wanted to live…not just exist. She got her wish…when along came a spider…


	2. Chapter Two

Kristina ran to the American Science Institute with her presentation board in hand. She told her boss she'd be there at 10:30. 10:30…10:30…she could make…she could make it most definitely. All she needed was fifteen minutes to prepare a little… Opening the glass door to the black building, Kristina's black leather boots slid across the marble floor. Stopping herself half way, she ran to the front desk to check in…10:3…6. Damn…They were sticklers for punctuality. It was her third day late and she was only there as a part time job. Although she wasn't working today, she had to get there for the presentation. She had been preparing for it all week. That stupid test in her Latin college class went a little over the time she thought it would take. Those stupid listening exercises…she thought ruefully. Sliding in, hoping to be not noticed, a voice echoed to her. "Now, now Ms. Devun, just because you are one of great skill does not give you special privileges."  
  


Inwardly groaning, she turned around slowly giving a weak smile. Apologetically, she answered, "Sorry Mr. Morris. I'm not even going to bother to give you an excuse because I know you don't like to hear them."  
  


"Well… since I know how notorious you are for making an entrance, I took it upon myself to ask the board to come in at 11 this morning instead of 10:45."  
  


Kristina blinked at him for a moment and then threw her arms around him. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much!"  
  


"You have so much potential…I would hate for it to be ignored because of a mere technicality-"  
  


"Of time? Right, I promise you my watch isn't slow…everyone else's is fast."  
  


"Of course. You still have twenty minutes to prepare…use the time wisely." Noting her fingers fiddling with her jacket, he added, "And be calm. You'll do just fine."  
  


Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her hair back and licked her lips nervously. Exhaling slowly, she said nervously, "Right."

……………………………………….

Peter walked to the café with everything not in order in his life. The only plus he had was when Harry moved out and back into his deceased father's house. At least that way he didn't have to see them together. His mind was reeling, and his heart was torn in two. He wanted this for her…to find someone to love her. Harry could give her anything she wanted, but still he thought of Harry as lustful, not loving. He could be wrong of course, simply because he was bias, but that was the vibe he got.   
  


It was then, at that moment, he saw them together. Her red hair seemed to glow more off of the lighting of the room. She looked beautiful, as always. Peter didn't go by them…he had no need to. It would only bring back bad memories of a cold December morning. Instead, he hunched his shoulders in silence as he made his trek to the counter.  
  
He stepped up to the creamy counter and ordered a medium hot chocolate. Changing subjects, his mind shifted to the day before him. The day was going by very slowly, which was an advantage to him. Because of all the Spider-Man/Peter switching he had to do, it didn't leave him much time to study for his classes. He was a natural brain, but even the brightest students need to study sometime. His study sessions with Kristina were paying off, but he hated the fact that he was so fickle about them because of the Spider-Man business. He and Kristina shared the same AP Calculus, AP English, and Latin classes and had all the same teachers in other classes, so this helped. His lips curved into a small smile. Kristina was probably one of the few people who challenged his mind to think a different way and for that, he was grateful.   
  


Paying for his drink, he wanted to make a dash for the front door; only, he didn't see who was standing by him when he turned around. With a quick twist of the hips, he was standing next to M.J. His body shrunk inwardly when she gave him that famous million watt smile."Hey Pete."   
  


"Hey M.J.." Shifting his eyes, Peter nodded toward Harry. "Hey Harry." M.J. saw him come in, but didn't want to be rude enough to Harry to leave him in mid sentence to tell the same man who rejected her, hello. Were there sour grapes about this? Hell yes, but she had to admit it gave her no pleasure to see Peter's shifty glance and disposition. He didn't look too happy to be there and neither was she. She figured this was uncomfortable for him. Harry did always respect her, but he was no Peter Parker. Her whole plan was for Peter to maybe get an inkling of jealousy, enough jealousy to come out with how he feels. She was almost positive he has immense feelings for her, but she couldn't understand why he wouldn't let them out.  
  


Harry grinned at his friend. With a quick slap on the shoulder, he said, "Peter! Hey man, what's up?"  
  


Peter shrugged his meek shoulders. "Nothing really, I'm just about to go to the campus to see what I made on one of my tests today."  
  


Everything that came from his mouth intrigued MJ...well...maybe not everything but it was close enough. "Oh really?" M.J. asked. "What test did you have today?"  
  


"Latin…the basis of all romance languages."  
  


M.J. turned her head to the side in confusion. "I thought you always wanted to learn Italian?"  
  


"I did, but I figured that if I can learn Latin, it'll make Italian easier."  
  


"Oh…"  
  


Harry shared a glance between the two. The tension was so thick between them, he could cut a knife through it. With a quick sigh, he said, "So yeah Pete, we were gonna try to go to the 311 concert on next Saturday night. M.J. is gonna score us some tickets. Her brother is tight with the lead singer."  
  


"You guys, that's great."  
  


Deciding to play cupid, he decided, "Why don't you invite that Kristina chic? She's cool, huh M.J.?" he asked with a quick elbow.  
  


Kristina! "Yeah, she's cool." M.J. and her were cool…this was true, but things between them got so strained. After M.J. told her about her newly discovered feelings for Peter and then how she went after him, things were never the same. Even though they promised each other not to let a guy get between them like this, it was hard to ignore nonetheless.  
  


Nudging his friend in the side he added, "Yeah Pete, ask her is she wants to go."   
  


Taking his eyes off of M.J. for a moment, he looked back at Harry. He might just have something here…"Okay. I think she'd like that." Maybe she'd like it…Kristina was never one for being really social with people. She could have fun by herself and he respected that. He often remembered whenever they would go somewhere; there was always some sort of hidden reluctance there. She was so open to him and shy to so many others, he found it to be a pleasure to know she trusted him.   
  


"Yeah, well dude," he said while glancing at his watch, "we gotta get going. I promised M.J. I'd take her out to eat for lunch, but she just had to stop here to get THE muffin."M.J. had a fettish when it came to blueberry muffins. She would only eat the ones from that coffee shop...no where else.  
  


M.J. blurted out quickly, "Would you like to come with us Peter?"  
  


His entire body stiffened. "Uh, no…that's okay. I have to go to class, check on my grades, and a bunch of other stuff."  
  


"Aight…well, later Pete." M.J. watched as scurried toward the door. She had had to much experience with guys to know when she caused an effect and on Peter Parker, it was obvious...she knew it and she liked it. She liked it very, very much.  
  


…………………………

Smoothing her loose hairs back toward her bun, she took a deep breath. Looking up from her papers, she stared at the room full of 10 men sitting in black chairs at a black table. Pushing herself passed their stern looks, Kristina started. "Good morning. I hope you all are having a good morning. Well, with grumbles shared around the room I take it you're having the typical Monday morning." She heard a few chuckles from the people in front of her. That calmed her down some. Taking another deep breath, she began her presentation. "I've come to you with my research findings on the institute's study on the 'Super Spider'. Here are the studies that I've conducted so far." She handed out navy blue folders around the table. "As you can see, the studies prove to be inconclusive. But with my research, I've proposed an idea. The ionic compounds in the venom of the spiders are not reactive to the cancer cells. Although compatible, the true problem lies with the spiders' overall DNA. There is a gap in the DNA link. This makes using the venom literally impossible to use."  
  


"So this study was for nothing?"  
  


"Oh on the contrary Mr…"she glanced at his name tag, "Klefton. If you would turn to page 12, you'll find that a few of the results from this will be mutually beneficial to this company and to the world of medicine. Even if this fails, scientists can replicate a substance that will work based from this analysis."   
  


Matthew Jameson eyed her carefully. "Quite frankly I find the entire study preposterous and ridiculous. From what I've heard, you are an extraordinary girl." Rubbing his stubbly chin slyly, he asked, "Why do you bother to waste your talents on such thing that is utterly, shall we say…impossible?"  
  


"Sir, I've read your works and know of the kind of scientific mind you have. Being a scientist, I would think that you of all people would know that nothing is impossible. According to the research, it's quite plausible. On page six, I explain the problem of the gap more thoroughly. To make a long story short and to save on paper cuts, basically, the scientists were having trouble with a gap in the DNA chain. Then, an idea occurred to me that had me thinking-"  
  


Flipping through the papers, Mr. Jameson said with ennui, "Conjuring would be more precise…correct?"  
  


"Sir…" turning her head to everyone in the room, "gentlemen, I think I've found a way to make a new species of spider a full reality."  
  


A few people stirred in their seats. Mr. Jameson shook his head at her. "It already is. There has already been some made and-"  
  


"Yes I'm aware sir…but it's not a true species until the gap no longer exists and the venom will not be usable until the gap doesn't exist."  
  


One man chimed in, "How can these spider survive with a gap in their DNA?"  
  


"Because they are mutated spiders and are made of other genes with other spiders, this combination of spiders has made the genetic material more durable and allows the spider to exist. Now, this existing spider also means rapid growth and faster aging processes. So, yes it lives…but only for short periods because of the gap. My proposal is this: what would happen if we were to breed the spider with another spider…a household spider perhaps…that would fix the DNA gap."  
  


Mr. Jameson said with resolution, "If that's the case, they would just form a spider with part of the common spider's DNA."  
  


"No, mathematically and scientifically, according to the linking of the amino acids," she pointed to her presentation board to a colorful chart, "there would still be a gap, which would lead to the faster deterioration of the spider because of its small size. The genes are put together as a puzzle piece, but if bred with another spider, it would be like a normal process. My calculations are in the folder if you can't see them up here. By mating, the offspring would have half and half of each spiders' genes, and because of the genetic spider's dominating genes, they would provide the offspring with that same abilities. Since the offspring would share only half of the 'Super Spider's' genes, there's a probable chance that it won't get the half that has the missing link, just as if it were being a recessive trait of a genetic disorder. The gap would be found on the x chromosome. In order for the gap to be offset, it would need the transfer of a y chromosome from the Super Spider. It needs another natural gene, not a genetically engineered one. The gene pool, I guess you could say, isn't quite stirred around enough yet. All this needs is another generation of the spider, a serum that would turn the venom sac, well, 'on', and a possible cancer killing agent will be a reality."  
  


"Does this serum already exist?"  
  


"Yes."  
  


After flipping through a few pages, Mr. Klefton said, "Well, I must say, it seems as though you've done some extensive research on the matter." He was very impressed.  
  


"I try."  
  


Mr. Jameson stacked his handouts together. "Right… very well then. I do believe our time is up. Miss Devun, have any last requests?"  
  


She felt like she was about to be executed. "In conclusion, I think that you'll find this to be plausible and I can only hope that you'll accept my proposal and idea."  
  


Raising a brow skeptically, Mr. Jameson added, "And if it fails?"  
  


"Then, we'll just have to find another way then. After all, this is simply a hypothesis."  
  


"You might just do well to remember that..." The older man narrowed his gray eyes at her. "You do understand that failure at this could lead to this company removing its services from this field of study?"  
  


Turning her head to Mr. Morris briefly, she said surprised, "N-no, I wasn't aware of that."  
  


"Well…be sure to keep that mind."  
  


"I will, sir, but I certainly hope that that wasn't some sort of threat."  
  


An eyebrow rose. "A threat? My dear child, why would I threaten you? I'm merely stating a fact and that fact is that if we don't see some improvements, then this company will withdraw the bulk of its funding from behind this."  
  


"But I would also like for you to take into account that-"  
  


He held his wrinkly hand up indicating he wanted to hear no more of it. "My child, my distaste for this project is, I'm sure, quite evident. I suggest you give up now and save your breath on this." And with that, he began his trek down the corridor. Kristina, who was left in the doorway, was awestruck. When did this all fall on her shoulders? Shaking her head solemnly, she could only hope that her margin of error was zero.  
  


Stepping back into the room, she shook her head at herself. She wasn't disappointed in her presentation. She grabbed their attention, held it, and actually put a doubt in their heads that this thing could work. Sighing she began to pack up her things to leave. Mumbling to herself, she said out loud, "Somebody didn't have their prune juice this morning."  
  


"Don't worry about Jameson, he's always an asshole."  
  


Kristina turned around quickly. "Oh wow, I-I wasn't aware that anyone was still in the room."  
  


John Klefton eyed her carefully. He licked his lips slightly as he settled back into his chair. He liked her style…maybe a little too much. "You know, you really shouldn't listen to him that much."  
  


"But he's one of the senior board members."  
  


"So? He also wears diapers, does that mean he's an expert on Depends? Well actually…he just might be." Kristi tried to retain her composure couldn't help the smile that came across her face. "Go ahead and laugh. I promise…I won't tell."  
  


Keeping her head down, she continued to collect her things into stacks. "Well yes I should laugh and I'm probably going to on my way home, but still, I can see where he's coming from."  
  


"You're a college student, correct?"  
  


"Yes, I am."  
  


He leaned back casually in the black chair. Drumming his fingers, he asked, "How did you get involved in something like this?"  
  


"Well it started in high school...well actually it started back when I was five. I loved collecting bugs and then in high school, we took a trip to a laboratory that introduced the whole 'Super spider' thing to me. Then I started to read about it, and it interested me more, and," she stopped for a moment and laughed at herself. "And now, I'm probably talking your ear off."  
  


"Oh no, I don't mind at all., after all, I did ask the question. I find it quite…intriguing."  
  


His green eyes were staring her down intently it was…well…nerve-racking. "Well…if you'll excuse me, I have a class I need to go to. I'm sorry that I have to leave so abruptly."  
  


He stood up quietly. "That's fine. I should get going anyway." She reached for his hand and shook it gently. Making sure to have eye contact, he said almost quietly, "It was a pleasure meeting you."  
  


"Same here." She felt a shiver up her spine when she grasped his hand. There was something…wrong about this…about him. She shook the feeling off and began to pack up her belongings.  
  


John stared back at her form for a moment before turning to exit. Yes…she'll do nicely. The professor will be…quite pleased…  
  


Mr. Morris accompanied Mr. Jameson to the elevator. "Sir you must realize, she's only a college student. I find appalling that you would place all of this on her shoulders."  
  


"She wanted to be a scientist, she got it."  
  


"Let me be the first one to tell you that this girl has extraordinary talents, but she is not a scientist. If anything, this is more or less a test of her skills. I think that it is unfair judging on your part to give her an ultimatum as such."  
  


"I don't particularly like the idea of such young people in this field of work."  
  


"Just because you're judging her, don't take it out on the Institute."  
  


He sighed dramatically. "It's my money and I'll take my feelings and opinions out on whoever I'd like. Goodbye Mr. Morris."

………………………………..

Kristina walked around the college campus with her head in a whirl. The meeting went better than expected. Of course, there was plenty of opposition thrown her way, but she felt she dealt with it very nicely. If only her life could be solved and looked at so easily as this. Life was…not a life, but just a label. She wasn't living; she just existed. Never meshing well with people, her personality and mind developed a barrier that was itching to be demolished, yet the right person hasn't lit the dynamite. Well there was always… "Peter!" Kristina looked at him with a smile. His presence was always enough to make her smile…no matter what.  
  


The brown hair on his head flew up in surprise. His turquoise eyes that normally have a spark were dull. It was evident that he made an effort to appear all right, but he didn't quite pull it off. His blue eyes furrowed inward. His voice sounded harsh and almost annoyed like. "Oh…hey Kristi." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.   
  


She could tell that he wasn't particularly in a good mood, so she thought she'd get his mind on other things since it was evident he was concentrating intently on whatever it was that was bothering him. She sat down on the green metal bench and put her bag down. "The presentation I was telling you about went pretty well. There's this old guy that kept shooting me down at every chance he got. I swear he has a hang up with people three times younger than him. I call it all jealousy." She looked at him. He never even moved. Clearing her throat, she continued. "Martin bumped the test up a week. She said something about us getting too far behind or something."  
  


"I know."  
  


"I don't know what I'm gonna do. Studying is gonna be a killer. Would it be all right if we met more during the week for the study sessions? I have a bad feeling I'm gonna need it." She was babbling…and she knew it.  
  


He response was curt. "Fine." Kristi's eyes fell a little at the sound in his voice. Immediately she felt disheartened.  
  


She sighed again. This was harder than she thought. He was never this hard to crack. "I'm glad I got the presentation for the Institute out of the way though. I'm hoping that the board will let me continue the studies at home. Lord knows I have enough equipment to rival even the most prestigious scientist. I really gotta get rid of some of that stuff. I've already forgotten what the counter tops look like." His blue eyes kept forward. Obviously changing subjects isn't doing any good.  
  


"What's wrong?" He stayed silent, while his eyes fell some. Shaking off his abruptness, she took another crack at the convo. Raising an eyebrow sardonically, Kristina said with sarcasm, "I wasn't aware of how nice your smile was…oh wait…you can't DO that task."  
  


Peter took a deep breath. The cold February air burned his nostrils. Rubbing his hands together, he responded coolly, "I really don't have much to smile about." He reached for the small white cup of hot chocolate and took a sip.  
  


Leaning her head lower so she would be looking at him, she widened her eyes as a signal for him to go on. When he didn't, she sighed to herself and pushed a strand of her brown semi curly hair behind her ear. Licking her bottom lip, she turned inward toward him. "Everyone's unhappy with something in their life. If they weren't, they'd have nothing to strive for." She asked softly, "Would you like to talk about it?"  
  
  


"No." It was quick and to the point. He just sat there with his eyes blinking out the cold. He felt about as cold as the weather. His insides burned because of a promise he made to himself and to someone else. All it was… was torture. He swallowed hard as he lifted his cup of covered hot chocolate to his lips. He knew his curtness was somewhat mean and aggressive, but what could he do? It was obviously sucking at the acting part so why attempt to hide it anymore? Peter's blue eyes fell some. Had it been anyone else, he could care less, but since it was Kristi, it just made him feel a pang of guilt. As sweet as she was and always had been to him, he had no right to shoot her down like that. Still, he couldn't help how he felt at that moment.  
  
She just looked at him. God it hurt her so much to see him like this. Her heart just…went to him. He looked to miserable. Her head was working overtime to feel even an inkling of what he was feeling, just to lighten the burden ever so slightly. She leaned back against the bench with a long, exaggerated sigh. Folding her arms behind her head, she secured the loose bobby pins that were holding her dark brown hair into a bun.   
  


Kristina turned her head toward him once more. His eyes were staring straight forward. He didn't even look at her. His tone and his disposition was enough to set her straight. As hard headed as she was, she finally took the hint. "Okay then," she said as she shrugged her bag over her shoulder. "Since I guess it would be pretty stupid for me to freeze my ass off for someone who won't even bother to look at me…" standing up, she finished, "I'm just gonna go ahead and go. There's no point in me wasting both of our time so I'll talk to you whenever. I guess in Calculus or something." She began to walk off. He was a puzzle to her. It amazed her at her past actions. She would extend herself so much to him just to get a cold shoulder.   
  


Blinking slightly, Peter looked up at the back of Kristi's form before she got to far. "It's torture, ya know."  
  


Kristi stopped and turned around. Shrugging her shoulders, she said nonchalantly, "I wouldn't know since we don't do the whole 'talking' thing much anymore."   
  


"Things…" he said vaguely. Swallowing hard , he added, "Situations have got me thinking."  
  


"Pete, you've been like this for about three months. That's a little too much thinking for even the brightest of humans." A smile crept on his lips. She always could make him smile…not like her though…  
  


Kristi's eyes widened, "My goodness…was that a smile you were trying to make?" He threw his eyes up at her playfully. "I do believe it was!" Throwing her arms in the air dramatically, she said with flare, "Oh my goodness, I think I feel faint. Is the cold playing tricks on my eyes or did I see some pearly whites?" He laughed out loud at her goofy facial expressions. "I did! I did! I feel so very honored!" Skipping back to the bench she put her bag down and slid next to him playfully. She batted her dark eyes at him. He shoved at her playfully. Throwing an arm around his shoulder, she grinned, "Now…tell Oprah what's troubling you dear."  
  


His smile faded slowly and was soon replaced with lines of misery on his face. Sighing, he said, "I think I've made a mistake with something…someone."  
  


Thinking for a moment, she responded, "M.J.?"  
  


Turning to her, he asked nervously, "That obvious?"  
  


"Just a lil Pete."  
  


He shook his head. "I gave it up. I-I have admired this girl since I was six and I gave it up. I mean I have my reasons, but…I can't decipher my feelings and I'm having trouble finding the logic in my reasoning." Groaning out loud, he grabbed his head. "There's so much going on."  
  


Looking around, Kristi set her eyes on a snowy path that led around the campus. "C'mon, let's go for a walk." She grabbed his palm and dragged him off of the bench. Kicking the snow, she said with a start, "Well…like you said…you have your reasons. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. As smart of a person as you are, I'm sure you had a good reason or else, it wouldn't have crossed your mind."  
  


"She's just so beautiful to me…all she wanted was her love returned."  
  


"Could you return it? Honestly and completely with no strings attached?"  
  


"I don't know. I've been doubting a lot of things lately, of how things could have been different." He almost wished that stupid spider hadn't bitten him. "All she wanted was for someone to love her."   
  


"If that's the case, then you should definitely have doubts. If she just wanted SOMEONE-"  
  


"I could have been that someone…"  
  


"Then that's wrong."  
  


"How can it be wrong to want someone?"  
  


"You make it sound as though she'll settle for anyone that says they love her. First she claims her love for you, but then gets back together with Harry? Not to dog M.J. or anything, but that sounds shady to me."  
  


"That's a problem I've been thinking about lately too. This thing with Harry isn't helping very much either. Since they got back together…" he rolled his head around. "I think I pushed her toward him. I mean don't get me wrong about Harry. He really can be and is a great guy…she appears to be happy with him."  
  


"Then be happy for her."  
  


"But what if she's not happy? It's my fault."  
  


"She's made her decision, you've made yours. What more is there?"   
  


"He's able to give her the thing I can't. Maybe I'm jealous of what he can give and what I can't, but…geez it's so frustrating."  
  


"Pete…do you love her?"  
  


He thought long and hard for a moment. "I'm not one to throw that word out because it's too special. I've always held something special for her. I believe it to be love. It's like she'll always have a piece of my heart."  
  


"Why are you scared to love her then? Are you scared you're going to hurt her or get hurt or both?"  
  


"Maybe…"  
  


"This is where all your reasoning came in…right?"  
  


He sighed once more. "Yeah."  
  


She dug her hands into her leather jacket pocket and rocked back and forth on her heels. "Well…I can't really tell you anything except to trust in your own judgment."  
  


"Ya'll are friends…what do you think she feels?"  
  


She chuckled at his question. "I'm not even about to speculate on her feelings because that's not the way to go about things. If you want to find out how she's really feeling, ask her. Ask her to be completely upfront that is… if you really want to know. I mean, you may just think you want to know, but deep down you may not want to. I dunno what to tell you Pete. It's your feelings, do what you feel you need to do. As for me and M.J., we don't talk that much anymore." Especially since she spilled her guts to the only guy she's ever held feelings for.   
  


Their friendship was complicated. It started from tutoring and they ended up buddies. Then a guy enters the whole equation and throws everything out of whack. M.J. knew Kristi's feelings, she knew everything, but she went after him even though she said she wouldn't especially since she had a boyfriend. But Kristi had to hand it to her; she did keep her word about not telling Peter anything.   
  


"Kristina repositioned her legs while she French braided M.J.'s silky red hair into two ponytails. Biting her lip, M.J. broke the silence. 'Look, I didn't mean for things to get out of hand like this.'  
  


Pulling more strands together, Kristina said smoothly, 'I don't think anyone did.'  
  


Taking a deep breath, she continued. 'I know how you feel about Pete. I don't want to jeopardize anything.'  
  


Fastening one braid with a rubber band, she began to start on the other braid. 'If you're worried about what I'm thinking or feeling, forget it. Don't worry about a thing. I'm still gonna be your friend, no matter what.' Brushing the hair back, she said matter-of-factly, 'Besides, it would be pretty ballsy of me to hold how you feel against you. That's not cool.'  
  


'Ditto. So…are we still cool?'  
  


'You know it red- head." She felt M.J. relaxing under her fingertips. Smacking loudly she added, "That is if you'd quit squirming around so damn much. You're gonna make me pull out all your hair and then you're gonna ATTEMPT to kick my ass for it.'  
  


'Attempt? Don't make me call your bluff.'  
  


'Um yeah…I'm waitin' for the phone bill.'  
  


'Alright.' She reached for a blue pillow. "That's it!' Thus began the pillow fight…"  
  


Shaking her head from the memory, she added, "I'm not gonna be the mediator between this and even though I'm itchin' to get involved because well…I'm nosy, I'm not going to. So, do what you need to do." Stressing each word with a poke in the shoulder, she said finally, "Handle… your… business."  
  


He smiled at her phrase. "Handle my business huh?"  
  


"Yeah."  
  


He nudged her in the sides. Looking down at the ground he began to kick the snow. "Thanks."  
  


"For what?"  
  


He began to stammer a little bit. "Ya know…for just being here and for…"  
  


With tons of sarcasm she cut in, "For taking your PMSing and for allowing you to talk my ear off, right?" She saw his face fall. She nudged him the side and made a goofy expression to make him laugh. Sounding as gaudy as she could with a deep voice she said while holding her hand on her chest, "Oh sure…what are friends for…DARLING?" He looked at her and she looked back at him. They both busted out laughing. Walking side by side, they went to their English class.


	3. Chapter Three

Days passed and soon Kristi received word that they were going to continue with her hypothesis. She was completely rattled. Not only was this an exciting moment for her, but an altering one as well. The moving of her Calculus test had really shaken her up. She needed to spend as much time as possible with her Calculus book. She figured this meant that things were going to pick up again since they finished midterms not too long ago. Kristina tapped her foot against the gray looking carpet nervously. The class wasn't a problem…passing wasn't a problem…the institute presented a problem. Things were going entirely too well at the institute to stop now.   
  


She was hoping for her assumptions to be incorrect about the class picking up. Before anyone was truly paying attention to the professor, she raised her hand quickly and blurted out, "Professor Martin, I was just wondering…why did you move the test up a week?"  
  


The elderly woman, never looked up from her wooden desk. "Because, you are too far behind and besides, I've been babying you people for entirely too long." She got up and sauntered toward her overhead projector. Addressing the entire class instead of just Kristi, she added, "The next weeks are going to be fast paced so I suggest that all extracurricular activities you have be put on hold."   
  


Peter chuckled at that thought. 'Easier said than done…' he chimed in his head as his mind went back to the robbery of this morning. It amazed him that there were such people in the world who were stupid enough to rob a bank in broad daylight.  
  


Kristi inwardly groaned at the news. This was not good. She wanted to be there to observe her hypothesis become a reality. True, she never conducted the tests herself, she still had a hand in the whole thing. They were about to began testing her hypothesis and SHE was gonna have to miss it? Not quite. Kristina worked entirely too hard on this to let school get in the way… she shook her head at her thoughts…that didn't sound right. It was going to be a burden to jet back and forth from the institute to her apartment and back to school. Tapping her pencil ruefully on her wooden desktop, she started to wonder. Her apartment was closer to her classes. She could always ask to have in home studies with the spiders. That might work…she did create one herself and helped provide the funding so the board members wouldn't have an excuse to ban it…so she did have some sort of claim to it. Maybe Morris would go for it. He always did have a soft spot for her. "Excuse me…Miss Devun?"  
  


Kristi snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Ma'am?"  
  


"Since you obviously feel the need to daze off in my class, you obviously know what you are doing, so why do you share such an interest in the test date?"  
  


"Um…well, I'm not entirely sure of what I am doing. I was just, um…" she rattled her brain for something. "I was just thinking of other approaches to the, um, equation."  
  


"Oh really? And what equation would that be since I didn't put one up."   
  


Kristi smiled nervously at the fifty year old woman. "The… problems you gave us for review. I noticed another way to approach the graphs without using Logarithmic Functions but with, um the old school trig function, Cosine. Since it's mainly right triangles and Cosine is not a polynomial, it would, um, make the problem simpler." Adding quickly she said, "So I thought."  
  


Raising an eyebrow, Professor Martin answered while nodding her head, "Very good Miss Devun, I was just about to get into that today. But, if you could possibly humor me by acting as though your paying attention, then that would keep my mind at ease." She then turned her silver head away from Kristi and back to the overhead projector.  
  


Peter leaned in a whispered behind her, "Nice Kristi."  
  


Sighing loudly, she said, "I know…I'm just smooth like butter." This was great…it was just peachy keen…how was she going to do this?

………………

Kristi tugged at her bottom lip nervously as she often did. There was no way he would go for this…no way at all, but she could always try…"Mr. Morris, may I speak with you about something?"  
  


"Sure, come in."   
  


Kristi made her way through the boxes in his office and toward his desk. "Are you going somewhere?"  
  


"Oh no…I'm just putting a few things into storage."  
  


"Oh." Clearing her throat, Kristi said confidently, "Mr. Morris…may I continue the rest of my studies at home…sir?"  
  


Never looking up from the papers in front him, he said monotonously, "And how do you plan to do that?"  
  


"By, um," taking another breath she spoke in one word, "By-taking-one-of-the-Super-Spiders-home-and-working-on-it-there." She exhaled slowly. There…she got it out in the open. It just might work…  
  


He looked up at her through his bifocals. "Surely you jest child?"  
  


Or maybe not…Nervously smiling she said, "Alas…I, um, jest you not."  
  


He shook his head at her. This girl was just itching to get into the real world and for the life of him he couldn't understand why she couldn't be content with where she was. "Kristina, you know we prefer that all work be done here in the lab."  
  


Nodding her head slowly, she said nervously, "Well yes sir, I know."  
  


"And you know perfectly well that we prefer all genetic work be done by SCIENTISTS, not students. Recording observations is one thing, but performing them is entirely something else."  
  


She continued to nod her head. "Well yes I know that too."  
  


"Then why did you come here?"  
  


"Because…I have a huge load of work to be done with school and I know that I shouldn't be doing this job if it's going to interfere, but I'm too far in to quit now. It would be a real help if I could do this at home. I-I have most of the necessary equipment, and it would be my real first hand account. Would it be better if the person who was presenting had a hands on deal with the actual experiment?" She could hear herself whining. As much as she hated, she couldn't help but do it anyway.  
  


"Kristina…you aren't dealing with the class pet…we're talking about a mutated animal here."  
  


"Yes sir, I know that, but I guess I'm just asking for the trust that you give me in the labs. It's all the same really…just a different environment. Who knows, maybe the spider will respond differently to a change in environment. I'll experiment with the one I helped make back in the fall. I mean I think it would be a good idea, because it offers two opinions if I do it and if one of the other scientists did it here in comparison. It would sound a lot better if two worked and not just the one I did, that is if it even works." Sighing loudly, she said almost solemnly, "Plus, I feel like I contributed a lot to this. Do you know how weird it feels to have some one else try out YOUR hypothesis, while you sit back and don't even get to watch?" With slumped shoulders, she finished with a pathetic, "Please? I really don't want to stop the project now."  
  


"Alright, I'll pass it by the board though. Yes, yes, I know. Don't give me that look, but it's a must. There is one condition I'm making before they get their grimy hands into this though."  
  


"Anything."  
  


"You allow me to inspect your equipment and give me your solemn word that you will watch that thing at all times."  
  


"I'll attempt to, but I can't watch it all times. I'll make sure it's in an inescapable environment when I'm not there and I'll have cameras set up around it if necessary."  
  


"Alright…if anyone asks, tell them you have permission to do an independent study. I will come by on random days to check up on your progress, if the board goes for it."  
  


"Thank you sir."  
  


"Matter of fact, I'll call them right now. They should be in session now."  
  


"Okay. That's great." 

……………………………..  
  


Placing a yellow folder on the 34 year old's desk, the short, stubbly man replied, "All things are in order Mr. Klefton."  
  


Rubbing his chin calmly, John nodded his head in compliance. "Very good. Would you please leave for a moment, I have an important phone call to make."  
  


"Yes sir, Mr. Klefton."   
  


The short messenger left quietly as John pulled out his cell phone. Pressing speed dial, he heard two rings and then the clicking of a phone being picked up. "Mr. Inconnu?"  
  


A cool voice spoke into the phone. "Hello Klefton. I was expecting your call. Is everything going well?"   
  


"Yes! Sir, I spoke with the Devun girl earlier this week. She seems very intelligent."  
  


Chuckling, he said almost with pride, "I always knew she would be."  
  


John drummed his long fingers on his desk. "I anticipate that she would add youth and vivacity to your…cause." He let the air out of his nostrils hastily at the thought of her. Under that whole "I'm not important enough to look at" exterior she was carrying around, she certainly did come in a nice package…  
  


"Yes, I know she would. I want you to keep an eye on her. Make everything that she wants available to her, but make it inconspicuous."  
  


Catching the man's drift, he nodded almost absently. "Absolutely sir."  
  


"How is everything going with the board meeting?"  
  


"We're taking a short recess for lunch. These poor weak-minded fools are easier to control than I thought. I almost hope that this Devun person will not be such an easy conquest. I'm looking for more of a challenge…" Smiling to himself, he thought sinfully, 'In more ways than one…'  
  


As if tracking the man's thoughts, the voice said with quick anger, "Don't you dare make her out to be a 'conquest'. She will be nothing of that to you and if I find out that you did as such, and you know I will, I will have you brought to me and will personally break your damn neck."  
  


He was taken back by his boss's abruptness. What was so special about this girl? "I didn't mean for it to sound so offensive, Professor."  
  


"Yes well, I've been thinking this out…she needs more time before the serum can be injected, but a deal must be presented to her." He was speaking more to himself than to the person on the other line. "She has a strong willful mind. It will be harder to convert her with the serum…"  
  


"How do you plan to go about it?"  
  


Catching himself quickly, he answered smoothly, "All things in time fall into my lap. This will be no different. This does not concern you anyway. Just make sure you keep an eye on her."  
  


"Yes sir." Click. John was not too sure about what importance this girl was to his boss, but he had some speculations. Professor Inconnu had a strange attachment to her. It was interesting to hear him talk about her. He had almost a silent longing for her.   
  


John lost his thoughts when Jameson came barging through his office. He eyed the old man funnily when he saw the humorous distortions on the man's face. Pacing, Jameson spoke almost giddy like. "Guess who I just got off the phone with? The screwy Morris fellow. He wants permission to allow that girl access to a Super Spider to try and conduct a test on it herself. The man's out of his head."  
  


"Did you give him an answer?"  
  


"Hell no! So I wouldn't sound so cruel about it, I told the crazy bugger I'd think about presenting it to the board." He began to laugh to himself. "I really don't see why I should."  
  


John eyed the man carefully. Standing up slowly, he walked toward the man. Coolly he said, "Let her."  
  


Jameson turned his head toward the man. "You're talking just as loony as that Morris fellow. I will not allow-"  
  


John moved his eyes over the man's face almost like a predator. Moving three of his fingers in the air, making it appear to add emphasis to what he was saying, he said, "You WILL allow it," but in actuality, it was doing something more.  
  


Jameson stopped in mid sentence. His brain was still trying to fight off this mysterious force that was engulfing it. "B-but on what grounds?" he asked dazed like.  
  


"She is very intelligent and has exceptional skills. She would do a good job. It would be good practice for her. She will be allowed to continue the studies at her home and she will have no further problems from you. Even if she fails, you will not remove the funding, but allow the studies to continue."  
  


Jameson's eyes turned obsidian. "I will allow her to do the studies in her home…and she will receive no further problems since she has exceptional skills and is very intelligent…all of the funding will still be present if she fails," he said in a drone readily voice. "I'll present this to the board members."  
  


Smiling confidently, John pulled on his suit to straighten it out. "Very good. That is an excellent judgment call on your part, Mr. Jameson." Jameson stared at him with a blank face. His black eyes soon turned back to their regular cool gray ones.  
  


Perplexed as to where the idea came from, he shook the feelings off. Content with the thought of doing something correctly, he said smugly, "Yes, I know it is Klefton. Thank you." He walked as if nothing had ever happened.   
  


Klefton smiled to himself. "Thank you Inconnu…"  
  


Author's Note: To anyone reading this, I know that the story is getting off somewhat slowly, but I promise you it will pick it up by or in the fifth chapter. Thanx!  
  



	4. Chapter Four

Kristina had just walked in her apartment from the Institute. She threw her things down casually on her navy blue sofa. She wondered about this. She just might have a chance at this thing. Jameson told Morris he'd think about presenting it to the board, and that was 4 hours ago. Why would he want to help her?   
  


She wasn't even home for fifteen minutes when her phone rang. Reaching for the black portable phone, she spoke, "Hello?"  
  


"May I speak to Kristina Devun?" The voice was cool and droid like.   
  


Kristi stared oddly at the phone. It didn't sound like anyone she knew. "Speaking."  
  


"This is Michael Sylva. I'm calling to inform you that you have received permission to work with a Super Spider. An analysis of your facilities will be conducted within the next hour and should last about three hours at most. You are expected to go to the Institute for 5:30 to receive further instructions. That is all. Good bye." Click.   
  


That was strange. The Institute was calling her? Kristi just stood there with the phone in her hands and a blank expression on her face. Her eyes blinked a few times before she fathomed what just happened. "You have received permission…" Those four words echoed in her mind. When she fully understood them, she then began to scream with delight.   
  


"Oh my god…the board is gonna let me continue!" she said out loud. She spun around twice and jumped up and down. This was amazing! She nearly didn't hear her phone when it rang a second time because of her happiness. It seemed to have swallowed her whole.   
  


Pouncing on it, she said with giggles, "HEELLLOOO!"  
  


Peter looked at the phone strangely. "Um..hi Kris. I take it your happy?" She was beaming, and he could feel it over the phone.  
  


"I have news. Good news! No, not just good news, but GREAT news! The absolute greatest news!" Taking a deep breath, she said calmly, "But you can go first."  
  


He could only smile at her excitement. "Oh no, by all means, you go. You sound like you'll pop if I don't let you."  
  


Laughing, she said, "Okay…well the Institute is gonna let me continue the studies at home. I'll get to test out the hypothesis I was presenting at that board meeting!" She jumped up once more…just to get it out of her system.  
  


"Kris, that's great! They must have a lot of trust in you."  
  


"Yeah, its wonderful. So what were you calling for again?"  
  


"Yeah, well I guess it doesn't measure up nearly to what's happened to you."  
  


"C'mon Pete! Don't leave me in suspense, that's just cruel!"  
  


Laughing he said quickly, "Okay, okay! M.J.'s bro is gonna score us some 311 tickets for this Saturday. Do you think you can come?"  
  


She exclaimed in Creole. "Sikre! I love 311! Most definitely. Ah…this is the stuff natural highs are made of!" Could the day get any better?!  
  


He continued to grin at her actions. She certainly was a character. "Great. I was almost afraid that you wouldn't be able to come because its kinda short notice."  
  


"It's only Wednesday."  
  


"Yeah, but I don't wanna leave M.J. empty handed."  
  


"Aight, hey what time is it?"  
  


"5:15."  
  


"Oh crap! I gotta get to the Institute for 5:30! I'm sorry to rush you like this, but I have to get going."  
  


"Oh! Well no problem." Then, it hit him at the speed of light. His sixth sense was going off like mad. Adding quickly, he said, "I've got some stuff to tend to myself."  
  


"Okay, I'll talk to you later."  
  


"Okay, bye," he said hurriedly as he put his mask on.  
  


"Bye!" Peter put the phone down quickly and went to his window. Looking swiftly to see if anyone was watching him, he leapt from the building.  
  


'They sure don't waste time…' she thought as she glimpsed toward her watch. Kristi bolted out of her door and ran toward the subway station.

……………

Once she reached the building, a tall man in a black suit met with her. "Are you Kristina Devun?"  
  


"Yes."  
  


"Come with me." He ushered her down a corridor to a laboratory. It freaked her out to some extent. Everything looked like something straight from a movie. She saw people in black suits all over the place, but what she couldn't figure out was if they were for the board or the Institute or both. "Miss Devun, the spider is in its cage over there," he said with a quick point to the corner. His hazel eyes cut straight through her. She nearly found herself backing away from the man. "A team of specialists will accompany you to your apartment to make sure the site is suitable."  
  


Nodding numbly she said simply, "Um, sure." She looked around herself and found at least fifteen people fluttering around her. This was a new experience. She had never in her life seen people resemble ants as they do now. They were scurrying around, like ants do after a rainstorm ruined their home. She found herself slightly overwhelmed and…well…overwhelmed. She stood there awkwardly. She felt out of place and didn't know exactly what was expected of her. About ten minutes later the same guy in the suit marched up to her. "Come with me."  
  


"Um ok-" and with that, she was dragged down yet another corridor. The man in the suit took such swift strides that Kristi had to nearly jog to keep up with him. "Allow me to prompt you. You should be receiving routine visits to check on your studies and your progress. The necessary supplies needed for the experiment will be delivered to your home as they are needed. If you need something early, you will call the given producer in this folder," He stopped quickly in front of two metal doors, leaving Kristi to slam him into the back of his tall form. He looked down at her with interest.  
  


Smiling nervously, she said, "I was, um, trying to keep up with you." Dusting his suit off quickly she let out a quick cough. "Sorry."   
  


He looked at her with only short interest and handed her a yellow folder, "As I was saying, if you need something early, you will call the given producer in this folder and that one alone. If you should happen to require some assistance, the numbers are in the folder. There should be nothing for you to sign except for equipment orders placed in."  
  


"So no contracts or anything?"  
  


"No ma'am. This is still the Institute's research and no other firms will be presented as having any hand in this."  
  


Glimpsing over the folder, she nodded her head. "Okay, well, thank you, but where are we going to now?" At that same moment, he opened the back doors. She squinted her eyes to protect them from the cold air that engulfed her in the form of a strong wind. Through her limited vision, she saw people bustling around in outside, loading and unloading equipment.  
  


He escorted her to a black van. From the looks of it, it looked like something used for torturing people. "We will be going to your home now."  
  


"Okay wait, was there really a reason for me coming down here?"  
  


"Well certainly. How else were we to get to your abode?"  
  


Kristi opened her mouth, but soon shut it. There was no point in saying something. Soon after the man in the suit put her in the van, three other people got in the car with her. Dr. Morris soon followed them. Kristi shared a worried glance toward him, but he assured her with his small eyes.   
  


A woman in a black suit turned around in her seat and stared Kristi down. Her face was sharply cut, and her eyes seemed like glass. Her nose was her most noticeable feature. It was sharp like the rest of her face, but curved under, like a witch Kristi had seen in a movie. 'I didn't know the wicked witch of the west had a twin sister,' she thought nervously.  
  


After raising an eyebrow skeptically, the woman started with a quick shrilly voice. "Now, if this does convene in your abode, you will NOT give out any information and under no circumstances do you let ANYONE else near the spider except for yourself, our specialists and our scientists. Is that clear?"  
  


"It's the same rules as in the lab…right?"  
  


"Precisely. Do you have any questions?"  
  


"How often are you going to be coming to my home?"  
  


"As often as we feel necessary."  
  


"Approximation please."  
  


She eyed Kristi sharply. "About once or twice a week."  
  


"And if I'm not home?"  
  


"We will come in anyway."  
  


"No." The woman turned toward Mr. Morris.  
  


"What do you mean…no? That spider is property of this Institute and the board paid for its creation."  
  


Mr. Morris shook his head firmly. "No, her mother paid for the creation of this particular spider with the use of part of a trust fund left in her name. She created it with the help of Dr. Weiss and myself, and according to the board's contract with the Institute they are entitled to full proprietorship to anyone who performs studies on their property. She made a deal with the Institute, not the board. The Institute, not the board, uses this spider for research. This spider is her property and therefore the board will have no legal stand point on going through her home without her presence." The woman narrowed her eyes into slits. Taking out a folded piece of paper from his jacket, he gave it to the woman. "And I also have elicit orders from the Senior Chairman himself for you to NOT give her any problems and assist her when she ASKS for it."  
  


Turning her head to the side, she eyed him mysteriously. "Fine then…so be it." Taking out a clipboard, she said irately, "Sign here." She thrusted it into Kristi's lap.  
  


Kristi picked it up and dropped it on her lap. "I was told that I wasn't needed to sign anything because the studies are still being done under the Institute and that a change in environment would not be a cause for anymore paper work"  
  


Mr. Morris chimed, "That is also on the sheet."  
  


The woman eyed him icily. Skimming her hawk like eyes over the printed-paper, it did indeed say those same things. Taking a deep breath, she said frankly, "Fine then."  
  


Saying a silent prayer of gratitude, she nodded her eyes toward Mr. Morris in silent thanks. The ride to her apartment was silent from then on.  
  


Once they got to her apartment, things immediately went smoother. She led them to her room where she did experiments of her own. There were steps placed there to lead downward and to the balcony. The downstairs portion had a door that led from living area. The bottom part was 35 by 30 and the upper part was 20 by 20 feet. This was originally supposed to be a dining room and a bedroom of some sort, but she didn't like because it had no window view. She had part of the floor removed, with permission of the landlord, promising to replace it if in the event she decided to move out. It was amazing what you could do with money…The remaining part of the floor, supported by steel columns, formed a 'balcony' with stairs leading down to the main part of the lab. It had white washed walls with silver tables and stools scattered in primary spots.   
  


Kristi looked in the room only to hear the black Stacy Adam shoes clicking all over the white tile. She saw people with plastic gloves come in with what looked like vacuums. Another crew of people came in and started to clean and inspect from what Kris could see.   
  


After an hour of this, the witch looking person turned around and looked toward the same man that was talking with Kristi the first time. She gave him a thumbs up. The woman walked by Kristi in haste, throwing in the wind, "Nice place."  
  


She couldn't tell if it was sarcastic or her weird way of giving a compliment. Deciding to not take offense to it, she said back quickly, "Thanks."  
  


The woman screamed loudly, "Okay boys! Let's move it in!" Turning toward Kris's confused face, the woman said almost nicely, "You can go in and watch us if you'd like to make sure everything goes according to how you'd like." How she liked….boy that was a nice combination of words! Nodding a yes, she strolled into the room and pulled up a chair in a corner. She watched the people come in and out, carrying in some equipment, cages, and an assortment of other things.   
  


When they were done, someone soon yelled, "Spider on Deck!" Everyone moved out of the way as the man carrying the cage of the Super Spider, came in. His head was held high, and his hands placed securely on the cage. He looked like he was about to present the Queen of England.   
  


He took every step carefully. Once he reached the designated table, he placed the spider slowly and carefully on the silver counter. Kristi swore she heard a collective sigh of relief around the room. The same witch looking woman yelled, "Everyone! Move out!" And like that, all the people scurried out of the room, leaving only her and Mr. Morris. The woman approached Kristi and handed her a clipboard. "I need a signature to signify that we came in and inspected the facilities and that you received the present equipment." Skimming her dark eyes over it, she then placed her signature on the line. The woman began to speak quickly. "Thank you. The rest of the equipment will be coming in over the next couple of days. Good bye." The woman turned on her black heels and marched out. Kristi just watched her in wonderment. This was definitely an experience to remember.   
  


Mr. Morris turned to Kristi after looking at the present standings. "Well," he said proudly, "you did it. You got what you wanted. Good luck with it."  
  


Kristi was beaming. "This is great…you have no idea how wonderful this is."  
  


"I think I can imagine. I have to give it to you…when I first saw your lab…it blew me away. A lot more stylish than what we're working in."  
  


Kristi was always close with Mr. Morris. He seemed more than a supervisor, but a friend, a very dear, and trusted friend. She gave him a quick hug. "Thank you. Thank you so much for everything."  
  


Giving her a quick squeeze back, he said, "I hope everything works out for you."  
  


She could only sigh. "I can only hope."  
  


"Well…good luck." His old eyes looked in her lab once more, before turning toward the door. "I must be going now. I have some research to tend to myself."  
  


"Okay, well…take care of yourself Doc." Kristi said as she began to escort Mr. Morris to the door.  
  


"It's not going to be quite as exuberant around the labs now."  
  


"I'm sure you'll find something to fill in the void." 

"I'm sure we will. Good bye Kristina."  
  


"Later Mr. M." She shut her door and leaned against it. She got it. She finally got studies she wanted. These studies she needed would propel her into the science world. Maybe her luck was changing after all.

…………..

The next two days in Kristi's life went by so quickly for her. By day three, she had entered in all the data concerning the spider's behavior, but she was having trouble finding a mate. It was still cold even though it was nearing March. If things took too long, she could always just get a spider's egg from the institute. She was on such a natural high that she didn't care. Today was the day of the concert, and she was pumped. She was absolutely in love with 311's music. This put her in a good mood the entire day.   
  


She was walking around her den looking for her notebook when something caught her eye outside the window. She saw an all too familiar truck bringing her more equipment. The guy that brought it was called Rico. He swore constantly that the name Rico Suave came from him and that he got gypped out of the money from it. His brown eyes and Italian accent made him sound like he was straight from the Godfather. He was rather cute and had the funniest expressions. He was a character and constantly brought humor to Kris every time she talked with him. He was one of the few people that she felt comfortable around. He was just an all round great person to be around.  
  


She went down the elevator to meet him outside. When she got to the door, she yelled, "Hey Rico!"  
  


The tall man turned around. "Hey doll face! Got anotha' present for ya."   
  


"Oh really? I'm flattered."  
  


Nodding toward the back of the truck, he said, "Yeah…its in the back." His slender hands took out a clipboard. He fished out a pen from his worn brown jacket and handed the two things to her. "Here ya go, sign please."  
  


Signing her name on the various papers, she asked without looking up, "So Rico what have you been up to?"  
  


He rubbed his left hand over his long neck. "Oh the regular stuff. Making women happy to see my face, satisfying them…the usual."  
  


She could only chuckle to herself. "Of course. A big pimp like yourself who…" she glimpsed at his sagging blue jeans. "Who has a fetish with heart shaped boxers."  
  


He turned around quickly, covering up his butt. "Hey, hey! Where'd you get that from?"  
  


She walked toward him shaking her head. "Maybe if your pants were at WAIST level," she said as she tugged his pants upward with the side belt loop, "you wouldn't have to worry about everyone knowing your secret."  
  


Running a hand through his short brown hair, he said casually, "Hey, I gotta let those unfortunate ladies who don't have a chance with me have a peek at what they missin'."  
  


"Of course."  
  


"Which reminds me," he came by her and put an arm around her, "when are you gonna let me take you out?"  
  


She handed him back the clipboard. "Me? Whatever. I'm not datable material…not for Rico Suave." He took off her receipt and gave it to her.  
  


"You're a lot better then some of these chicken heads running around. Besides, my momma would love you. You sure ain't a chicken head, you got brains, and you're a Catholic. She'd just love you." Reaching for the hook at the bottom of the truck he said, "Hey, they had an explosion of some sort at the old Forbes plant."  
  


"The chemical plant?"  
  


"Yeah." He lifted the back of the white truck up and hoisted himself onto the back of it. "I was sent to deliver some stuff there and what do you know? The place ain't there no more. So I get out and talk to my friend Joe bout it. Said the place got blown sky high."  
  


Kristi looked up at him while he was searching for her package. "Was anyone hurt?"  
  


"Na, the people got out aight from what I heard. Oh wait…he did say that there was some one who got hurt, but nothing to make a big stink outta, a broken arm I think." Reaching for her box, he saw something jump out at him. "Dio Mio! Spider!" He backed up against the truck to get away from it. The whole vehicle shook from his movement.  
  


Kristi's eyes opened widely and then fell quickly to the truck floor. "What! Where?"  
  


He pointed his finger toward it. "Right there." Grabbing his Reebok shoe he said, "Hold on and I'll fix it good. C'mere youse. I'll squash you like a-"  
  


Kristi held her arms out in the air to cover it somewhat. "Rico wait! Don't touch it!" She stared at it carefully…it was a female. Perfect!  
  


"Why? Is it poisonous?"  
  


"Well all spiders are poisonous but only a few are deadly." She bit her bottom lip at her luck. "Can I have it?" She kept her eyes on it. For some strange reason, it stopped moving. Kristi figured it to be because of the shock of cold air.  
  


He cocked his head to the side with his shoe still in hands. "What a pretty thing like you want a spider for? Are you that lonely?"  
  


She rolled her eyes at him. "No, I need it for something. It's for science."   
  


"Well go ahead." He grabbed a glass out of the front part of the van and dumped the water out on the side. He handed it to her carefully and got her some paper. "I dunno how the nasty thing got in here. My policy is to always have a clean vehicle so folks have nothing to complain about their stuff being dirty and everything."  
  


She placed her receipt down. Concentrating on capturing the spider, she said calmly, "These things happen."  
  


"Not in my van! As much as I hate them, that just gives me another reason to make sure its clean." Scratching his head, he came up with an idea and snapped his fingers. The truck rocked a little bit and Kristi looked up at him. "Sorry bout that, but I bet I know what happen. The dirty thing got on when I stopped at the plant. I still had the bloody truck open for a while. Little thing musta hitched a ride. I don't blame it now that I think about it. There was fire everywhere. Probably didn't want to be a crispy critter."  
  


Getting the glass on over it successfully, she began to scoot it toward the edge with her paper ready. "That's understandable."  
  


Eyeing her package, he asked, "Well…you think you could carry this up there?"  
  


She slid the paper under the cup quickly and flipped it. "Uh…" Once she made sure the spider was securely captured, she looked back at his brown eyes. "Sure, it's only a…" glimpsing at the receipt, she said finally, "microscope."  
  


"Okay then." He hopped out of the truck quickly. "You should be set."  
  


Giving him a quick hug, she said, "Thank you Rico."  
  


He left his arms where they were. "Babe, I didn't know you cared." Kristi held the cup up to his face. He jumped about 5 feet back. "That's not cool yo."  
  


She smiled at his scared expression. "You're great Rico."  
  


Tugging on his jacket he said nonchalantly, "I know."  
  


She shook her head at him. "Later Rico."  
  


"Later doll."   
  


Kristi went back up to her apartment with her heart pounding. From the looks of it, it was of the Class Therididae, a house spider. Why was a spider like this out by the plant? She shrugged her shoulders at the thought. 'Oh well,' she thought. She had her spider. That's all that mattered. She brought it to the lab and put it in a cage of its own. This was wonderful. She was going to a concert tonight and she found her spider. Things were going well for a change.

……………………….

Everyone was supposed to meet up at M.J.'s around seven so they could leave at 7:15 and find a parking spot. The show started for nine, so that left them plenty of time to get situated. Peter felt great about it. It pleased him to see Kristi so ecstatic and happy about going. She was slowly coming out of her shell, and he liked it.  
  


When he got to M.J.'s, Harry was already there. What he didn't like was the looks on their faces. They didn't look too pleased at all. "Ya'll…what's up?"  
  


M.J. sighed heavily while smoothing her red tresses back. She looked back at Pete with nervousness. "I didn't get Kris a ticket."  
  


His eyes widened in disbelief. "What! Why?"  
  


M.J. turned away from him and began to pace. This was gonna be hell of an audience to win over… Harry, thinking M.J. was too ashamed to answer, jumped in. "Plainly put, she forgot about it…"

Kristi reached M.J.'s floor and began to look for the familiar door. "421…421…ah there it is." Once she saw it, she took a look at herself in the sliver elevator doors before going over there. She quickly smoothed the some strands of hair back toward the ponytail she had. She had straightened her hair out so it would be more manageable. She folded the hanging hair under the hair holder, and tugged at her black cotton shirt. Smoothing out some creases on her carpenter jeans, she stuffed her hands in her jacket and headed toward the door.   
  


Peter paced around the floor with his nails in his mouth. This was unbelievable. "How can I tell Kris that you…you just FORGOT to get her a ticket?"  
  


M.J. looked up from her pacing and tired to 'defend' herself. "I 'forgot' since no one gave me a definite yes or no on whether she was going."  
  


Peter shook his head at that answer. He pointed toward her answering machine. "I left two messages on your answering machine, and I told Harry to tell you." He was exasperated. This was just purely incredible to him.  
  


M.J. gripped her forehead. "Peter…I've been running in and out of here like mad." She began to pace some more. "I haven't checked the machine in days."  
  


Harry looked at her confused like. "M.J. I thought I told you she was going on Thursday."  
  


With her hand on her forehead, she said quickly, "Harry, I don't remember you telling me. I don't remember a lot of things okay? I'm sorry."  
  


Peter rubbed his face. "Tell THAT to Kris."  
  


"Peter, its not all her fault. Everyone forgets some times."   
  


"You don't understand, she-" There was a knock at the door. Peter shot a look toward the door. "God, that's probably her now…"  
  


Kristi took a deep breath. This really was embarrassing for her. Did they really have to talk so loudly? She could only bet that God was doing this on purpose to save her the embarrassment. She shook her head at herself and plastered a smile on her face. Oh well…looked like another night of black and whites, black ink on white paper, or whatever else there is. Maybe she could look up some more research on the spiders…  
  


The door soon swung open and she saw a nervously smiling M.J. Kristi looked at M.J with the best attempt at a happy disposition. "Hey M.J.," she glimpsed in the room and waved at the guys. "Hey guys."  
  


M.J. made room for her to come in. "Kris…uh, hey."  
  


Kris turned to M.J., rubbing her hands ruefully. Staring at the three, she nearly laughed out loud. Their expressions were priceless. To hide her smirk, she covered her mouth quickly to make it appear as though she were thinking. Appearing to be in a hurry, she shifted her feet and glimpsed at her watch. 'Let's get this over with,' she thought. Quickly she said, "Hey. I can't stay long. I wanted to come by and say," her eyes flew up toward M.J.'s, "I can't go tonight." Everyone's eyes flew up toward Kristi. If this wasn't a stroke of luck…  
  


Peter blinked several times. "Why?"  


Rubbing her neck solemnly, she continued. "Well…some things have come up that I need to tend to." Making up something to cover herself, she said quickly, "I tried to call earlier, but the line was busy."   
  


M.J. played along on this. Shaking her head knowingly, she said with a nervous laugh, "It was probably Sharon…"  
  


This was incredible. Maybe M.J. really should get a job in acting. Kristi nodded her head in agreement. "Uh huh, it probably was. But um yeah…" she added almost cynically, "I feel bad about you getting stuck with that extra ticket… after your bro pulled the strings and all." Her dark brown eyes looked intently at M.J. carefully, as though she were waiting for something.  
  


M.J. continued to look at her nervously through her somewhat lowered eyes. "It wasn't a problem…really."   
  


'I'm sure it wasn't…' Kristi thought ruefully. She was laughing on the inside at their facial expressions. They looked horrified. "Well, still I feel bad about it. Maybe you can sell it and make some cash." She looked between the three. She saw them smile nervously and she just smiled to herself in bitterness. "Well anyway, I know ya'll are probably gonna be leaving soon so I won't hold you." She began to walk toward the white door.  
  


Opening the door for her, M.J. said regretfully, "I'm really sorry Kris."  
  


Kris looked at her. Yeah…she ALMOST sounded regretful. "No, I'm the one that's sorry…" 'Yea…real sorry…' she thought. Turning around with a smile on her face, she added good-naturedly, "I hope ya'll have fun." She felt herself about to cry. She turned around quickly and headed toward the elevator. Before the doors closed, she waved back at them.   
  


When the door shut, her shoulders slumped and she leaned against the wall. She let her head hit the back of the cool wall and just shook her head at herself. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" she muttered to herself while hitting the back of her head against the wall. She couldn't believe that things were the way they were. They have a little circle thing going on, and she tried to get in on it. Forget Marie, stupidity was her middle name. She sighed heavily as she wiped a loose tear away sullenly. She got off the elevator with her head high, her tears wiped away, and strolled out the building, alone, with her hands deep in her pockets. 'Oh well, back to square one…' she thought.   
  


Back in the apartment, M.J. turned around and closed the door. "Can you believe that luck?"  
  


Peter looked at the door and then back to M.J. "Yeah…some luck."  
  


Harry shook his head. "That bites for her." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he began to rock back and forth on his black shoes. "I wonder what came up."  
  


Peter shrugged his shoulders in speculation. "I can only wonder…" 'Thin walls maybe?' he thought. If he was right, then he felt like dirt. He was almost sure Harry wouldn't forget to tell M.J., especially since he knew Harry didn't want him to feel like a third wheel. Then he turned his skeptical blue eyes to M.J. He eyed her carefully. He could normally figure out when someone was lying, but he couldn't quite tell with her. What was wrong with her? She was not normally nearly this forgetful…there was something wrong with this. As Kris would say, she was acting 'shady'. He just shook his head. It's M.J….c'mon, she said herself that they were cool. She wouldn't do this on purpose would she?  
  


M.J. saw the look in Peter's eyes. She shot her eyes downward toward her watch to cover her mistake. She felt like crap doing that to Kris, but she had to keep them separated. They already had three classes together. She wanted Peter too badly to let possible competition get in her way. What was she saying?! This was dorky, old Kris. The only thing they had in common was probably the same brand of test tubes in their apartments. And as for competition, geez…it wasn't supposed to be a contest.   
  


"Well…I guess we should get going soon. It's gonna be murder to try to find a parking spot," Harry said while glancing at his gold watch.  
  


"Okay, let me go get my purse and the tickets."  
  


"Okay." M.J. walked out of the room toward her bedroom. Peter watched her form carefully. He turned his head to Harry only to see Harry eyeing him. Peter raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Are you sure you-"  
  


Harry held up a hand. "Peter…I'm pretty sure. I mean there's always the chance that I thought I told her in a dream or something, but I'm pretty sure I told her. We were at the park on Thursday and she told me her bro needed to know how many tickets. And I said Kris is game. Now…I could have conjured this up, but I'm pretty sure I didn't." Peter just nodded his head. Harry knew what he was thinking. Trying to stick up for her some, he added, "You know M.J…she's on the skits. She's all worried about that play of hers. She forgot about our lunch date yesterday."  
  


"Hmmm." Peter still didn't feel right about this. About five minutes later, M.J. emerged from her room. "Stupid me, my purse was over here-" she said while she strode toward her kitchen counter, "along with the tickets. I was worried for a sec." Gathering the three tickets, she handed one to Harry and one to Peter. Harry promptly took out his wallet and placed it in there.  
  


Peter still felt funny about the whole 'something came up' bit. Making up something, he began to reach around his jacket. Acting upset, he had a worried look on his face. M.J. looked at him with interest. "You forget something?"  
  


Forcing a laugh from himself, he said disappointed like, "I forgot my wallet at home. Of all things…my wallet."  
  


"Well, you don't really need it."  
  


"Still…I don't feel comfortable without it. I can take the sub and met up with ya'll in like, 20 minutes?"  
  


Harry shook his head at him. "You don't have to take the sub. I could swing you over there real quick."  
  


"Naw, that's okay, you gotta find a parking spot, remember?"  
  


M.J. nodded her head. "Okay, well make sure to meet us at the south entrance, gate 12, okay?"  
  


Okay..she could remember that, but no remember to get a fourth ticket? Now he KENW something was up. "Alright…I'll remember." He stressed the last word subtly. Peter headed toward the elevator.

……………

Kristi got into her purple jammies and went downstairs with her book, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas. She had already read it seven times, but it is a classic after all.   
  


Kristi let her hair down and massaged her head. Sighing, she went to her kitchen and pulled out a bag of butter lover's popcorn. Throwing it in the microwave, she said quickly, "This is better than going to a concert anyway." It was more or less reassurance. In some aspects, it was true. She liked being at home curled up on a sofa, reading a book, and eating popcorn. How bad was that really? Cheering herself up, she went in search of her CD player remote. Hitting shuffle, she soon heard Aaliyah singing Loose Rap. Feeling bold, she started to sing herself:   
  


I'm sick and tired of the loose rap.

Now, Now…yeah. For the 01...

I know you can come better, 

Can come better than that, 

So you can kill all your loose rap, 

hahaha. . . babygirl.  
  


How many times I tell you don't come to me? 

You bringin' me all of that jealousy,

Cause you got envy (Don't hate me baby). 

Talk smack behind my back,

Then when you see me,

You try to come up and talk to me (Don't talk to me). 

I'm not saying nothing (nothing).  
  


I know you can come better, 

Can come better than that (that), 

Don't come here with all that loose rap (loose rap), 

You can keep that (keep that) .

I know you can come better, 

Can come better than that,

I'm sick and tired of the loose rap (loose rap), 

You can save that (save that).  
  


She soon heard her microwave go off, and she got up with her book still in her hands. Placing it down on the marble countertop, she treaded toward the microwave in her bare feet. She got a quick chill up her spine from the cool white tile surface. "Gotta remember to go get some socks." Kristi continued to sing the lyrics:   
  


Too many times you guys would come step to me. 

I guess you call yourself booking me, 

But do I look easy? (Well, It Ain't Easy). 

Well, it never hurts to try, 

I just might let you call me.

I hope you don't plan on buggin' me, 

That would be…ugly.  
  


I know you can come better, 

Can come better than that (than that), 

Don't come here with all that loose rap, 

You can keep that.

I know you can come better, 

Can come better than that (that), 

I'm sick and tired of the loose rap, 

You can save that (save that).  
  


She reached for her cabinet and pulled out a large, ceramic, green bowl. She dumped the popcorn into the bowl and then headed for her black refrigerator. She pulled out a cold can of Dr. Pepper and went back to her previous spot. She placed it in her drink holder on her S-shaped three-piece coffee table. After wiping her hands on her purple, cotton shirt, she went back to the kitchen and grabbed the popcorn and book.  
  


I know you can come better 

Can come better than that 

So you can kill all the loose rap 

You can quit that (quit that) 

I know you can come better 

Can come better than that 

So you can stop all your loose rap, Your loose rap   
  


She was almost to the sofa when she heard the door buzz. She turned around swiftly. Who in the world could that be? She treaded toward the door with the popcorn and book still in her hands. She turned the knob slowly, only to see somebody she really didn't expect. "Peter?" Her eyes blinked for a moment...how was she gonna get herself out of this one...wait! Why should she have to defend herself anyway? Blinking her thoughts away, she asked quickly, "Aren't you suppose to be at the um...concert or at least on your way?"  
  


Peter sighed heavily as he eyed her. With a stern gaze, he said in quietly, "I was about to leave, but I decided to check on something." He turned his gaze to the bowl of popcorn and the book in her hands.  
  


Catching what his eyes were falling on, she said sarcastically, "I take it I would be that something."  
  


"Why didn't you want to go?"  
  


She grinned for a moment. "Oh no, that's not the case. I'm a big 311 fan, but you see, it's kinda hard to go when you don't have a ticket."  
  


"How'd you-"  
  


She just chuckled, almost angrily, "Either your voices carry or the doors are very thin."  
  


"Why didn't you tell us?"  
  


"What would be the point?" she countered.  
  


He clasped his hands together. He wasn't oblivious to the bitterness...just made him feel worse. "Look Kris…I'm so sorry about that."  
  


She just shook her head at his attempts. "Don't worry about it."  
  


He knew she was disappointed, but he had to give it to her; She could put up a front. "M.J.'s bro could probably get you in with us."  
  


She held her free hand up to stop him. "Look, I don't want ya'll to bother with me, okay? It is NOT that big of a deal."  
  


"What are you doing tonight then?"  
  


"Taking care of some matters, like I said I would be. I've found that I've neglected the whole classical book scene,. so," she could feel herself beginning to break. Hurrying up she said quickly, "I'm gonna sit on my bum and get fat off of a tub of butter lover's popcorn, as you can see, and read this," she said as she held the book up. "I've already read it seven times, but I just can't ever get enough off of our hero the Count." Her voice was beginning to crack. To cover herself, she began to look at the back of the book.  
  


Peter looked at her intently. She looked like she was about to cry. Even though he couldn't tell because her head was down, he just knew it. He stepped inward a little bit. "Kris…Kris c'mon, look at me." He lifted her chin slowly so she would look at him. When she saw him take a step forward, she backed away. She moved her head out of his grasp and looked at the wall to her right. "Kris-"   
  


She swallowed hard. She didn't know holding back tears was such a hard thing to do. Why she felt so badly about this was a mystery to her. She really did have her heart set on going, with people that actually invited her with good intentions. She just shook her head at him to block out his attempts. "Pete, do…not…worry about it." This time she looked him straight in the eye to emphasize that she meant it. This was new to her. People really weren't worried about whether she was okay or not. Sighing, she leaned against the doorpost. "You better hurry up and go before they leave you."  
  


"Would you like to go in my place?"  
  


She rolled her eyes at his attempts. "Oh, boy please! Would you leave already? Why would I give you the pleasure of staying home and getting fat, that's my job!" She tried to smile for him to reassure him, but it turned out being weak.  
  


She was trying to back her way out of this with humor and he wasn't blind to it. He really did want to go with her. As much fun as she is to be around, he was looking forward to this night. He tried to make eye contact with her once more. "I want to make this up to you."  
  


Kristi just exhaled. "Why? It's just a concert."  
  


"As much as you act like you wouldn't have wanted to go…I know you did."   
  


Shrugging her shoulders, she said finally, "Okay…so I did. I did! Saying that won't change things, if anything, it'll make me feel worse, so this is where the whole denial thing comes into play. Believe me, there is always a method to my madness. Look," she glimpsed at her watch for a moment before looking back up at him, "you better go…you're gonna be late."  
  


"Kris-"  
  


He really did care…"Pete, just go, have fun. It's not the first time, I'm sure it won't be the last, and I'm fine about it. It's only another statistic in my life."  
  


He shifted his weight a little bit. He didn't like how that sounded. He knew that she was often alone, but he didn't want to be another 'statistic' in her life. He didn't want to be on that list. "I don't want to leave you like this."  
  


"It's not that bad of a way to leave someone when you think about it. Popcorn, warmth, and books and probably some movies, is not that bad of a deal. Lot better than losing your hearing. Are you going to leave now?" God his eyes were intense. "I'm fine…see." She danced around in a circle for him. "See, I'm cool about it."  
  


Grabbing a hand full of popcorn, he slowly popped a few kernels in his mouth. "Nope, not yet." She just watched him chew slowly. "My, my, you are in a hurry to get rid of me. Do you have some company or something?"  
  


'No company…just a bad thing called estrogen,' she thought. She smirked at him. "Oh ha…ha…ha, did you forget who you were talking to? Don't even joke like that."   
  


Thinking of something for them to do, he said finally, "Hey, there's a modern art exhibit coming up. You're gonna go with me."  
  


"Well…thanks for TELLING me that Fred Flintstone." She began to laugh at him while he just stood against the door eating her popcorn. "You aren't gonna leave are you?"  
  


Popping another kernel in his mouth, he said matter-of-factly, "I could just chill here with you. They won't miss me." That would be HEAVEN to her…  
  


"Now, wait, don't go and deprive yourself of the complimentary earplugs because of lil old me."  
  


His stare was very intimidating to her. Nervously, she slid a strand behind her ear. Peter asked once more, "Are you sure you're-"  
  


"I AM ABSO-POSI-LUTELY SURE! Geez already!" she said while laughing. He's a hard headed somebody. "When you DO go, would you get me a poster or something if you think about it?"  
  


He nodded his head. "Sure."  
  


Kristi walked away from him for a moment to put her stuff down. She dug around in the pocket of her jacket and pulled out a ten. She held it out for him, but he didn't take it. "Um, normally, when someone hands money out, the person in front of them is normally supposed to grasp it. It's the American way."   
  


"No, that's not how the whole giving thing goes."  
  


"Pete…take the money."  
  


"Later."  
  


"You aren't leaving until you take this money." He ran out the door and stood in the hallway with a grin on his face. He began to laugh when he received a fistful of popcorn to the face. "Are you gonna chase me down the street in your stylish nightwear?"  
  


Kristi just grinned at him. "I dunno what you are smiling for…I just used reverse psychology on you, and I'm getting something free out of it…bye!"  
  


He stopped and thought about it. Damn…she was right…"Kris wait-" slam went the door. He stared at the door for a moment before blinking his eyes. He chuckled to himself as he went down the hall with his hands tucked in his jacket pockets. Thinking to himself, he said, 'She's good…she's good.'  
  
  
  


Note: Don't forget to press that nice little button down there! Highly appreciate it!


	5. Chapter Five

Peter threw Kristi's mind out of whack. He was so damn persistent, but just godly material in her mind. Her mind reveled in the fact that he came by before the concert. That really got to her. Being cared about was a strange and intoxicating feeling for her. Besides her family, she had no one who actually treated her as a true friend. Peter did and that's what has made all the difference in her life.  
  
When she got up Monday morning to go to her Latin class, what she saw on her front step surprised her, but brought a smile to her lips. There was her 311 poster with a note attached:  
  
To One Goober From Another.  
  
That's all it said. She hadn't left her home at all last night or all that day. He must have brought it later in the day. Shaking her head, she said with a chuckle, "Peter Parker, you certainly are something else." She picked up the poster and brought it in her apartment. Deciding to put it up when she came back, she left her abode and locked the door.  
  
Kristi took her normal seat in her class: fourth row in the sixth seat. There was nothing on the dry erase board. 'Are we learning something new?' she thought. 'No, the new material would be up there…'  
  
Peter walked in the classroom and took his seat next to Kristi. "Good morning."  
  
Kristi snapped out of her thoughts to look at Peter. His eyes seemed somewhat dull. "Good morning yourself." Peter attempted to stifle a yawn. "Rough night?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
Thinking about happier things, she grinned for a moment. "Thanks for the poster."  
  
Peter, who wasn't really paying attention, perked up. Once it registered what she said, he smiled back to her. "No problem." Lowering his head a moment to doodle in his notebook, he said calmly, "You owe me 8.50." He had a smile on his face so she would know he was joking.  
  
With opened eyes, she exclaimed to him, "Why Peter! I do recall offering you money, but you refused to accept it. So, since I don't want to damage our friendship by pressuring you to accept it NOW, I believe me attempting to give you the money for a second time would be…wrong."  
  
He laughed at her. "I love your logic."  
  
She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm kinda fond of it myself."  
  
"Okay ladies and gentlemen, this is probably the two words loved by all students alike: Pop Quiz."  
  
A collective groan was shared around the room. "Well THIS is a pleasant surprise," Kristi said oozing sarcasm.  
  
Peter leaned back in his seat shaking his head. A kid in front of them shook his blond hair. Scoffing he said, "Man, Dr. Mac just…just don't…" He couldn't find a word.  
  
"QUIT," Kristi and Peter said in unison.  
  
He turned around and looked at them. "Yeah!"  
  
Kristi shook her head. "Well, if I get another paper cut from flipping through those 20-page tests of his, I'm suing."  
  
The balding, sixty-year-old man glanced around his room. "Yes, I know you're groaning now, but there's a nice twist to this. I will go around the room, picking each student at random to conjugate a verb in whatever forms I tell you. You will have exactly 3 minutes and ten seconds to write them. After you do that, consider yourself dismissed. You will have to conjugate it on the board and give me the proper pronunciations."  
  
Kristi smiled. This was going to be a cinch. "This isn't that bad."  
  
The blonde boy mumbled, "It's hell if you don't have all the verbs memorized."  
  
Peter patted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, but just be cool about it. You'll do fine."  
  
The professor looked around the class. All he could see were people beginning to eye their notes. "The computer is going to randomly choose the students. The guinea pigs are…ah, Mr. Charles Preston, Miss Carrie Darryl, Mr. Brad Fontly, and Asia Michaels."  
  
Every single one of them had a look of dread on their faces. Kristi leaned in and whispered to Peter. "They look like they're about to get their heads chopped off…"  
  
Peter rubbed a hand over his face to wake himself up. "Oy."  
  
"Charles, conjugate ârdeô/ârdêre in the present indicative, imperative, and future indicative. Carrie, conjugate cadô/cadere in imperfect indicative, imperative, and perfect indicative. Brad, conjugate cadô/cadere in future perfect indicative and present indicative. Asia, conjugate faveô/favêre in present indicative and pluperfect indicative." One of the boys widened his eyes in disbelief. There was no way he knew that. "Come, come now Brad. You have approximately 3 minutes left." Furrowing his green eyes inward, he concentrated on writing on the dry erase board.  
  
It continued like this the entire period. Peter went with the second group and Kristi was left in her seat until the second to last group. Her wait was entirely too boring for her. "And how about…Miss Kristina Devun." Kristi's head perked up when she realized she had finally been called. "You will have nancîscor/nancîscî. Conjugate it in the imperative, perfect subjunctive, and present indicative." Kristi widened her eyes to wake herself up. She wrote quickly:  
  
Active Sing. Active Plural  
  
Imperative : nancíscere nancísciminí  
  
Perfect subjunctive: na(n)ctus sim na(n)ctí símus  
  
na(n)ctus sís na(n)ctí sítis  
  
na(n)ctus sit na(n)ctí sint  
  
Present Indicative: nancíscor nancíscimur  
  
nancísceris (-re) nancíscminí  
  
nancíscitur nancíscuntur  
  
She placed the blue marker down and waited her turn to pronounce. When it was her turn, she said them quickly. After receiving a nod, signaling she was right, she began to erase her chart. "Very good Miss Devun. You can leave." She sighed relief. She was so happy to get out of that boring class.  
  
Kristi walked outside with a big yawn. "I know you had to have been bored."  
  
Kristi turned sharply to her left. It was Peter. She looked at him questioningly. "You waited?"  
  
Getting up of off the ground he said with a stretch. "Yeah."  
  
They began to walk. Glancing at her watch, she said surprised, "Pete, I was in there for about 30-minutes."  
  
He shrugged his shoulders. "So? You would have waited for me…right?"  
  
"Of course! I just didn't think you would."  
  
He found himself beginning to grin. "Why?"  
  
"Because…" Kristi thought for a moment and couldn't come up with a reason that wouldn't make her sound completely stupid. She said finally, with a laugh, "Because, I'm a special person who is slow on the uptake. I thought I told you that bit already?"  
  
He shook his head and snapped his fingers. "Yep, you sure did. Slipped my mind completely." Readjusting his black Jan Sport book bag, he asked, "But anyway, remember that art exhibit I was telling you about?"  
  
"You mean the one that you demanded that I go to?"  
  
He nodded his head. "Yeah, that's the one."  
  
Playing it sly, she said casually, "I recall you mentioning it."  
  
"Well, I found out more about it. It's next Wednesday night. Not this Wednesday, but the next."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Do you think you'll be busy that night?"  
  
She thought for a moment. She was about to make the spider embryo…"Probably not. The only thing I'll be doing is working on my research, but I should be done with the hard part by…at least this Saturday."  
  
"Alright. So you're game right?"  
  
"Fa-sho."  
  
He smiled at her saying. "Alrighty. You aren't going to stand me up are you?"  
  
"I'll try not to. I have a busy schedule and all…I'll have to pencil you in," she said with sarcasm.  
  
He punched her in the shoulder jokingly. "I feel so flattered that you would take the time to check."  
  
"I'm sure you do. You ought to." A cold gust of wind went by quickly. "Ooooh, its cold. It's times like these that make me miss my hot Louisiana weather."  
  
His face scrunched up. "Oh, yeah…I forgot to mention. The exhibit…it's outside."  
  
  
  
Kristi nearly dropped her jaw. "Are you serious?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah. On the Martin Memorial Park grounds."  
  
  
  
She shook her head solemnly. "Boy…boy…"  
  
  
  
"Well part of it is outside under an awning, and part of it is inside a pavilion."  
  
  
  
"Well…I take it I'll only be seeing part of the exhibit."  
  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
  
  
"Because, Popsicle art is not my thing."  
  
  
  
He chuckled slightly. "Well that's okay. Well actually, I take it back. I heard they change it up. Sometimes in the pavilion…sometimes outside, so I'm not to sure about it."  
  
  
  
As the wind increased, Kristi tugged her coat tighter around herself. "What should I wear?"  
  
  
  
"Something warm…just in case."  
  
  
  
"Besides that."  
  
  
  
"It's a 'no jeans/sneakers' thing."  
  
  
  
"Man! That's the most comfortable stuff. It's interesting that artist would risk their work getting ruined by the elements."  
  
"I'm sure there's probably some sort of covering over them. I heard it's really nice. Someone at the newspaper went there last year. They recommended it."  
  
"Well…that's good." Looking down, she glimpsed at her watch. "Look, I gotta get going. I have to get in as much time as I can for my research."  
  
"Aight…well, I'll see you later."  
  
"Okay. Later Pete."  
  
Once she reached her apartment, she went straight to her lab. This was a critical time for her. She spent all day Sunday separating an egg and "y" sperm. She wanted to wait a few hours to see if they merged yet. When she checked…everything was going well. There was so much to write…so many observations. She had to freeze images of the slides of the embryo in its different stages, write down observations, calculations, times, descriptions of images…there was just so much. It was a thrill, but also an exhausting one.  
  
The rest of the week, Kristi was like a recluse. Peter was the first to notice, and he was probably the only one to notice. Since she never attracted attention to herself, it wasn't too hard to believe. They had missed three study sessions together. It wasn't big, but it was significant because it was often him having to cancel because of "business". Because of his personality, he understood. He knew what it was like to be immersed in something…research for her…crime for him.  
  
When the night of the art exhibit rolled around, he called her just to make sure she remembered.  
  
Kristi was fiddling with her microscope when she heard the phone ringing. Adjusting her headset, she answered by tapping on the side of the headset to activate it. "Um…hello?" She was taking pictures of the embryo's stages. It was so hard to focus that lens…  
  
"Kris…hey!  
  
Kristi's brown eyes flew up. "Hey Pete. Sounds good to hear someone's voice." Sounded really good…  
  
Peter was putting up some of his books. Cradling the phone with his cheek and shoulder, he said, "I would think so. Did you assign yourself to solitary confinement?"  
  
She smirked. "Ha, ha. I can't mess up with this."  
  
"I know. I'm just playing with you." Readjusting the phone, he continued. "I was just calling to make sure we were still on tonight for the art exhibit."  
  
She pulled open a drawer to pull out another lens. She was practically beaming at the thought of going out. "Oh yes…I have that written in here so I wouldn't forget." That was her main highlight for the week. Going to school was nothing new, but at least she would see something new now. Her eyes were getting sick of seeing the same white walled room. She wasn't one for going places, but at this point, it was a Godsend.  
  
"Good. I didn't want to go by myself because my friend decided to play Dr. Frankenstein in her laboratory."  
  
She fished around the drawer ruefully. "Yeah, yeah, well, you know me. When are you coming over?" Pop! The lens flew out of the drawer and onto the floor. Sighing to herself, she bent down to pick it up…'where are you?' she mumbled as she glimpsed around the floor.  
  
He glanced down at his Timex watch. "In about two hours. I should get there around 6:45, so…" Increasing the volume in his voice, he said jokingly, "Get out of that room!" What he heard on the other line was a swift crash. Aww man…what did he do now? "Are you okay over there?"  
  
When he shouted, Kristi jerked her head up in surprise and hit the open drawer. She groaned into the phone. Rubbing her head, she said playfully, "Oh I'm fine. I'm just inflicting wounds on myself. Nothing new."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Still rubbing her head, she said with a sigh, "Well actually, I'm minding my own business and getting a lens. I dropped it, bent down to pick it up, and the stupid drawer jumped out and bit me."  
  
"Is the drawer really that stupid if YOU hit your head on it?"  
  
"Hey now, you're treading on dangerous water buddy. And besides…I told you, it jumped out and bit me."  
  
"Poor baby."  
  
She got off of the cold tile floor. Placing the lens on the counter, she said pitifully, "Yes…I know."  
  
Peter glimpsed back at his watch. "Well I'll let you go tend to your wound. I'll see you in a bit."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Later Frankenstein."  
  
"Bye Igor."  
  
"Yes master..."  
  
"Goober!" She heard him laugh before tapping the headset twice to hang up. It wasn't until that moment that Kristi realized that she was going somewhere with Peter. Making sure she was at a stopping point, she ran up the steps in her lab, threw the door open, and ran toward her room.  
  
After taking a shower, she ran to her closet. Within an hour, not only was she a wreck, but so was her room. She threw clothes in and out of her closet. Her mind was spinning as out of control as her room looked. The sensible part of her mind reasoned that this wasn't a date. They were going as friends. They often went places as friends, nothing more. The crush side of her mind hoped otherwise. There was always a chance…then her sensible side would cut in and tell the other to shut up. This is how things were jinxed and loused up. She didn't want to see herself disappointed by getting her hopes up, so it was always her style to downplay everything. She'd be prepared either way and if she were wrong, she'd get a pleasant surprise.  
  
She glimpsed at her frantic form in her full-length mirror. She laughed out loud at herself. She just laughed. Here she was, running around like a chicken with its head cut off in her indigo turtleneck and underwear. All she really wanted to do was find her full length skirt and instead, she was acting like a maniac. She smiled to herself and shook her head. "I need to calm down," she decided out loud. To take her mind off of things, she put on Just like Music by Erick Sermons featuring Marvin Gaye while looking for her skirt.  
  
[Marvin Gaye]  
  
Just like music, ooh-ooh-ooh  
  
Ooh, oh baby  
  
Just like music  
  
[Erick Sermon](Marvin Gaye)  
  
To relax my mind, so I can be free,  
  
And absorb the sound that keep me round,  
  
Doing my thing constantly with no worries,  
  
Peace to Keith Murray,  
  
(Just like music).  
  
To keep me flowing and keep me going,  
  
And keep me growing,  
  
To keep me from the E from knowing,  
  
What happens out there is not my concern,  
  
You wanna die, it's not my turn,  
  
(Just like music).  
  
To do something to me, like jump in the Mercedes,  
  
On the highway doing over 80,  
  
Without music baby (Ow, I'll go crazy) yeah,  
  
(Just like music).  
  
Make me call my homie on the phone,  
  
Like there's something new out that got me in the zone,  
  
Just that feeling… got me,  
  
I wish music could adopt me.  
  
(Just like music)….  
  
"There it is," she said out loud. She waltzed over to her bed and found them sticking out under three shirts, two pairs of pants, and four skirts. She figured she tossed it out without really looking. Grabbing it from under the pile, she quickly stepped into it.  
  
I got my music.  
  
Turn on some music.  
  
I got my music.  
  
Turn on some music.  
  
I got my music.  
  
She was finally dressed and situated. Putting her curly tresses in a bun, she started to spin around on her heels and began to sing Marvin's part.  
  
[Marvin Gaye]  
  
Just like music.  
  
Music is the soul of the man.  
  
I got my music baby.  
  
Music makes a happy day.  
  
And music makes the clouds go by baby.  
  
Your music keeps my tears inside my eyes.  
  
(Just like music)  
  
Your music makes me want to sing( Doo-bay Doo-bay).  
  
Girl, music is a joy to bring.  
  
(Just like music)  
  
Hey, music is my heart and soul,  
  
More precious than gold.  
  
(Turn on some music. I got my music)  
  
Happiness today is just a song away (It's a song).  
  
Turn on some music. I got my music  
  
I love your music baby.  
  
She looked at her digital clock, and it read "6:28." He said he'd be at her place for about 6:45. Not wanting to break her neck sliding around in her shoes dancing, she decided to call her mother to find out what was up.  
  
Kristi's parents met at a block party her mother's huge family often threw. The rest was history, so she was told. Her mother, Nina, is a 47-year old partner in her law firm Dean and MacMurray. She established herself firmly in the law profession at the age of 25. She soon met Kristi's father, Kenneth Devun, a successful and brilliant 26 year old who worked as an engineer who specialized in the development of chemical based medicines that helped the human brain. Kenneth inherited his Creole father's brains, looks, and his Brazilian mother's drive, and charm. Nina inherited her calculating mind and beauty from her Creole mother and her playfulness and open mind from her Cherokee father. This joining brought forth the complex person known as Kristina Marie Devun.  
  
Kristi and her mother are particularly close. Her father's death, five years ago, brought the mother and daughter closer than ever before. Kristi considered herself blessed to have such a strong person like mother to keep her grounded, but even mommy had a breaking point. Devastated by her husband's early and abrupt death, she moved her and her daughter to New York four months later. His death took place in a chemical plant that was burned. It was always surrounded in mystery and foul play was always a factor roped in by the authorities because his body was never found, there were no remains, and the room, where her father was thought to be killed, burned because of arson. Nina, not wanting her daughter to know that her father could have possibly been murdered, told her daughter that they didn't have his body because it was burned, leaving no remains.  
  
Kristi quickly pressed speed dial on her phone to reach her mother. She heard the sounds of Duke Ellington in the background. Yeah…she's home. "Hello?"  
  
Kristi caught herself smiling when she heard her mother's voice. "Moman!" She often talked to her mom in a conversation of Creole and English.  
  
Nina's teeth flashed with delight. " Cherie Bebe! Hello darling."  
  
Kristi plopped down on her velvet blue sofa. Picking at one of the designs, she commented. "I'm just calling to check in."  
  
Taking a sip of her red wine, she made herself comfortable on her leather sofa. "Check in with me? What, am I under curfew?"  
  
She shook her head at her mother's antics. "How are you?"  
  
She swallowed slowly. "Lot better now that I'm hearing your voice. I heard you got your in-home studies. Brava Bebe."  
  
"I was about to tell you right now. How'd you find out?"  
  
Sighing into the phone she said, "That charming man…um…Morris! Yes, that's it. Well, he called me. Spoke a mile a minute about how proud and excited he was for you. So of course, I naturally figured I would be getting your call, but I thought a lot sooner, Bebe. You're slacking."  
  
"I can't ever catch up with you. You've got to much of a social life."  
  
She placed her drink down on her coffee table. "Nenpòt!"  
  
"It's true! I must have called you at least…I dunno how many times in the past two weeks. I left lots of messages with your secretary-"  
  
Her mother rolled her dark chocolate eyes at that. "Ah, Mary…grrr…that femèl chen…"  
  
"Mom!"  
  
Nina's face scrunched up. "Well she is one! She never gave me all my messages, things weren't being handled, so I said to myself, 'Kont! She's got to go.'"  
  
"Are things at work that bad?"  
  
"Oh no Bebe. Things are lots better now that she's gone." She began to ramble on about a new case she begged to present in court, and how she won the jury over hands down. It was bragging basically, but she loved to hear her mother talk.  
  
Just nodding her head, she threw in a couple of "Well that's good" and "Oh really" 's. Taking a deep breath, she asked carefully, "So how are you feeling?" Kristi often worried about her mother. If her mother was this active in work, it made her nervous. Her mother is in remission of Hodgkin's disease and though that was good news, doctors were known for not knowing the whole picture when it came to cancer.  
  
Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Ah…I'm okay. I had a headache not too long ago-"  
  
Kristi began to worry for a moment. If something was wrong, her mother would handle it, but she is also very stubborn and most of the time, the stubbornness always wins out. "Mom, did you go to the doctor?"  
  
"No Bebe, it was just simple headache. I promise. I popped some Tylenol and bam, it was gone."  
  
"Are you su-"  
  
"I am positive. So anyway, taking the spotlight off of me, what are you doing tonight?"  
  
"I'm going to an art exhibit."  
  
"The same one at the Memorial place?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
She nodded her head appreciatively. "Hmm…that's some good stuff."  
  
"Yeah, I hope so, I'm tired of seeing boring things anyway."  
  
She caught the thrill in her daughter's voice. With her, that could only mean one thing. "Hmm, well, from the sound of your voice, you're going with someone cause I see you smiling over here. Who is he?" She knew Kristina was not a big social person, so going somewhere by herself would not make her THIS excited.  
  
"Why do you think it's a he?"  
  
"Shouldn't I? I'm right aren't I?"  
  
"Yeah...yeah…I'm going with Peter Parker."  
  
"I remember you mentioning him once. Boyfriend now?"  
  
"He's a guy SPACE friend." With a silent sigh, she said solemnly, "Nothing more."  
  
Her mother laughed over the phone. "Na-uh! I heard that sigh. You like him, don't you? Don't you?" Kristi bit her lip. "Awww, my Bebe has a crush!"  
  
She could just picture her mother aching to pinch her cheeks. "Would you quit that?"  
  
"Embarrassed some? Do you have a rouji? I bet you do."  
  
"I am not blushing."  
  
"Uh huh…don't try to fool me, Kristina Marie Devun. Wow, he's got some effect. Well, is he cute?" She could hear her mother slapping her forehead. "What am I saying? Of course he is…I don't think you'd fall for a ugly guy."  
  
Kristi dropped her jaw. "Mom…that's mean"  
  
"I'm just stating facts dear. Most people don't fall for ugly folks."  
  
"Well…I think he's cute."  
  
"Is he a sèvo, hint hint…better be…hint hint, or is he an idyo?"  
  
She just smiled at her mother. "He's smart. He's in a couple of my classes."  
  
"Cha-ching, cha-ching!"  
  
Kristi busted out laughing. "Mom…you are hilarious."  
  
"Don't change the subject! You better rope him in! Now, is this date or dutch?"  
  
"Dutch."  
  
Nina's skeptical voice rang through the phone. "Are you…sure?"  
  
"We are just friends."  
  
"That doesn't matter. You're father and I were friends, until I boosted the dutch up to date. He was so shy. I think he got it from his Popa. Most Portuguese women are hot heads."  
  
Continuing to pick at the design on her sofa, she said softly, "I'm not as bold as you."  
  
"I see you got your passiveness not from me. Must be from your grandfather, skips a generation or something. Who knows Bebe? When is he supposed to come?"  
  
"Well, he was supposed to be here in," she glanced at her watch and her shoulders fell. "Five minutes…ago."  
  
Her mother shrugged her shoulders. "Well, there's traffic. Give him some time. Hold on, I have a beep."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Glimpsing at her call waiting caller id, she rolled her eyes in a scoff as she clicked over.  
  
Kristi stayed on the line for about a minute before she heard her mother come back. "It's the firm. I swear they can't function without me. Well, should I click back over or what? I told them I was on the phone with an important client."  
  
"I'm not your client."  
  
"You're my Bebe…that's a lot more important than half of these bete folks we represent. So what, should I click back over?"  
  
"You can go ahead."  
  
"Call me if your friend doesn't come. I'll hunt him down and make him pull a Houdini and disappear. I can make it happen. Me and a couple of judges are cool. Honey, we'll never go behind bars."  
  
"Bye Moman."  
  
"Later Bebe." Click. Kristi glimpsed at her watch. 6:52…  
  
Kristi sat on her sofa with her head lying against her hands. When she looked back to her watch, it was already 7:00, and Peter was not here. That was a long eight minutes. When the door finally buzzed, she nearly jumped out of her skin.  
  
She ran for the door, stopped, and slid her way across the wooden floor, like she had so many times before. Before she opened the door, she shook her head at herself. 'You are such a freakin dork' she thought.  
  
She opened the door swiftly with a smile on her face. Peter returned it. He was wearing a black jacket with a gray shirt on under it and black dress pants. He looked…scrumptious. "Hey! I was getting worried. I thought you stood me up."  
  
"Oh no! Never. Traffic is horrible at this time of day. For a minute I thought I'd be road kill." 'Or hit a flying bullet,' he thought ruefully, thinking back to the hold up that kept him.  
  
Her face grimaced at the thought. "That's not a good thought."  
  
"Tell me about it. It's a jungle out there. Now that I've told you about my near death experience, are you ready to go?"  
  
"Sure." She walked outside her apartment and locked the door.  
  
Once they left her building, they walked four blocks to the Martin Memorial center. Peter handed the man the tickets. "You had to pay to get in this?"  
  
"Yeah. Well no. One of the people I work with, the same one who recommended it, gave them to me."  
  
"Hmmm." Once they entered the property, she was surprised by how beautiful it was. There were lights on the metal fences and on the fountains. The newly melted snow left the ground glistening in moisture. With the lights all around, it made the pavement seem as though it were covered with diamonds. There were numerous art works in glass cases surrounding the property. It was an art museum in a park.  
  
They walked through the park, glancing at a few of the pieces. Some were extravagant and some were beautiful in their simplicity. "Who's your favorite artist?"  
  
Kristi thought for a moment as she looked around. "I don't really have one. I normally go by the paintings, since they're on display and not the artists."  
  
Seeing a waiter with a tray, he took two drinks. He sniffed it quickly. "I think this is okay." He took a quick sip. "It's Ginger Ale." He handed her the other glass.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"No problem. Now, what's your favorite painting."  
  
She slowly put the plastic glass to her lips. "I don't have one."  
  
"You don't like choosing?"  
  
Taking a sip, she said casually, "Well, besides that, I also like art for different reasons. It all depends on what mood I'm in or something like that."  
  
Taking a quick sip, Peter asked, "What mood are you in now?"  
  
She grinned at herself. "Paranoia stages."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She thought back to the instant of when she thought he wasn't coming. "I dunno. I'm just weird like that."  
  
He glimpsed around until his eyes fell on one particular piece. "This one is you."  
  
Kristi turned around to see what he was looking at. "Christina's World! Nice…but they misspelled it." Turning her head toward him, she asked curiously, "Why do you say that's me?"  
  
Peter rocked on his heels as he stared at the picture. "Because...when I see this, I think of you. I think of you as that girl lying in the field trying to get away from everything, which would be the house," he said as he pointed out the brown object in the corner. "Her body is turned toward it though, and she's gazing at it almost longingly. It looks as though she's about to reach out toward it. She wants to be there, but perhaps she doesn't know how to get there or whether she has the strength to carry her there. But from the looks of it, she does. If there's that much longing, then she would do what she could do get there." Peter's mind began to drift again…M.J. He longed for her. It wasn't the strength he lacked; it was fear that carried him. There was always fear…if he looked passed that fear, he wouldn't be dealing with caring…he'd be dealing with selfishness. He could never tell what exactly it was that held him back. There was always a lingering doubt. Was it selfishness he feared or something more?  
  
Kristi watched him in stupor. Her breath seemed to come in slowly, everything seemed slower. She could hear every word he said. His explanation was beautiful…it matched him. It was simple, yet it kept her captivated, just like he always could do. She heard him, yet, the only sense that was functioning perfectly was her sight.  
  
Kristi saw his face change its shape. It was more distressful now. Finding her voice that she had previously lost, she spoke up. "I see you in this."  
  
"How?"  
  
"The same way you see me. You long for certain things so dearly, it's blinding. You have such a strong love and a strong passion for things that, it blinds you. Passion blinds everyone, but yours is a different passion." His was M.J…she could see it in his eyes… "You want something, you can feel it, you can touch it, but it's all out of your grasp. That's how I think this girl sees that house. While lying in that massive field of hay, she sees what could be her house. She can see it, she can smell it, and she can probably even taste the old wood. The field is only a visual hurdle. The deeper hurdle is her reluctance and knowing. She could go there, but at what costs? Besides, you have to remember, she went away from that house for a reason." For a moment, she felt nothing but jealousy. She figured it was good to have such a deep emotion for someone, but as selfish as she saw herself, she could only reason that her problem is that the emotion is not for her  
  
"What if it was taken from you…you had no control over it at all?"  
  
"I think that all things happen for a reason. The house is there now. But she still lies there, not moving toward it, but just there in that field. She knows she can't go to it because maybe, it was never her's to want, but someone else's. The far better prize is often thought to be the one we can't have…it may just be lust…She doesn't kill herself because then she can't ever have it and it would be gone. I think she likes having that house in her sights instead of it disappearing with her death."  
  
Peter turned to Kris for a moment. His deep ones were staring intently at her much darker ones. She read straight through him and he could feel it. It felt as though her eyes read through every feeling he owned. He began to speak to her, but he was more or less talking to himself. "Everyone has a hidden strength. There's something in all of us that keeps us going."  
  
Almost mesmerized, she said softly, "Our drive."  
  
He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. That house is her drive."  
  
Kris was almost talking in a whisper. "Does she love it?'  
  
Peter's eyes closed for a moment. "She's not sure…everything is clouded in with the dirt and dry grass that's around her. Everything keeps getting so clouded…"  
  
"Is it possible that all that's clouding her vision is…protecting her?"  
  
"From what?"  
  
"From getting hurt? Not only what she loves, but…her?"  
  
He opened his eyes slowly. Slowly, they made their way toward Kristi's. "Maybe."  
  
  
  
There was so much reluctance in his eyes to believe in loving M.J., that now, he was seeing the nature of his true doubt. Kristi slowly tore her eyes from his and back toward the painting. "Do you think she could love another?"  
  
He looked back to the painting. "There's always that chance. Most blessings are in disguise…"  
  
"Or in hiding…they just need to be found." She could have smacked herself for that. This wasn't about her…it was about helping him…helping him get over this…grief. This thing was tearing him apart, but now it seems, that over time, those open wounds that seemed so evident to the world, were now healing. Kristi felt herself exhale. It felt as though she held her breath that entire moment. It was weird for her. It was almost as though…they shared something. They shared that painting…their feelings and emotions all because of paint on paper.  
  
Peter looked back to her. "Thank you."  
  
She was breathless for some moment. "What for?"  
  
"Just for being a friend. One thing this girl may lack, is that she doesn't have a friend to help her."  
  
Kristi's shoulder's drooped. "Yeah…"  
  
Just then, Peter's spider sense went off. 'Not now…' he thought. He looked toward Kristi. She was still in a daze at the picture. Making up something real quick, he tapped her on her shoulder.  
  
Kristi, who was completely oblivious to what was around her, turned around quickly to the source of the tapping. Unfortunately, she turned a bit too quickly. She covered her mouth in dismay. She spilt the rest of her Ginger Ale on Peter's shirt. She tried desperately to wipe some of it off. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry."  
  
He chuckled nervously for a moment. He could only laugh at his luck. "That's okay. I'll just go find a restroom to wipe this off with."  
  
"I'm so sorry."  
  
"Kris, don't worry about it." With that, he jogged off toward the Memorial building.  
  
Kristi began to glance at a statue when she heard someone yell, "Somebody catch him!" she turned around quickly only to find that she was in the direct path of someone obviously in a hurry. Not waiting for her to move, the man in black pushed her roughly to the ground and ran toward an exit. Soon following him was another man dressed in black, holding a statue of some sort just like the first guy.  
  
Caught in the confusion, Kristi got up slowly and looked toward the sky. "Look its Spider-Man!" someone yelled. The red and blue figure jumped from tree to tree, chasing the thieves.  
  
He swooped down on the first man, knocking him off his feet. He noticed how the man attempted to land on his back so not to damage the statue. He shook his head at him in sarcasm. "I didn't think most crooks had a thing for art." The man placed the statue down and lunged toward him. Spider- Man calmly moved out of the way while holding his foot out. The thief fell forward onto the pavement. Spider-Man shook his head once more. "Look at this." He picked him up calmly and stared him dead in the face. "I figured you to be a Van Gogh type of person myself."  
  
The man attempted to kick Spider-Man, but he was to fast for him. Grunting, he said angrily, "Web head! What you want?" Dodging the man's flailing legs, Spider-Man threw him away from himself, leaving the man hitting a Maple tree.  
  
"That beautiful bust of yourself." Staring at the statue of Medusa, he said quickly, "My, my, that's a perfect image!" Seconds later, Spider- Man's senses went off immediately. He spun around quickly, preparing himself to fight. The man that was now charging him, held a gun out while running toward him. Spider-Man did a somersault over him and kicked him from behind. "Artistically challenged guy…snatch and runs are so outdated."  
  
Flying forward because of the impact, the second thief dropped the statue and the gun. Using quick reflexes, Spider-Man shot out some webbing to catch both. "No respect for the art of today." Spider-Man grabbed the other statue and placed them down on the ground together. Seeing the guards coming toward him, he commented, "Well…I guess that's my cue to exit." And with that, he jumped to a nearby Oak tree and out of sight.  
  
Kristi saw the whole thing. She had never seen him in person, but now that she had…she could see why so many people talked about him.  
  
Kristi was still in a daze when Peter came back. Still wiping his shirt, he said quickly, "Ya know…I didn't think Ginger Ale would stain like this."  
  
Kristi spun around to face him. "Peter you missed it!"  
  
An eyebrow went up in suspicion. "Missed what?"  
  
"Spider-Man was here!"  
  
He widened his eyes. "Really? Was there a robbery?"  
  
She shrugged her shoulders. "An attempted one. I'm sorry I got that stuff all over your shirt. You missed him."  
  
"It's not ALL over my shirt. I got most of it off and besides, I take pictures of him all the time for the Daily Bugle."  
  
"Oh, well, I guess you didn't miss much then."  
  
"Na." They walked through the park some more, looking at more art pieces. The entire time they were there, something kept bugging Peter. Something in him found it interesting about her interest in Spider-Man. It ate at him the entire time they were at the exhibit. Peter began to think some. 'She seemed awfully intrigued by him coming.'  
  
While walking her home, for some odd reason, he wanted to know what she thought about Spider-Man. To him, it almost sounded as though he wanted her approval. Just out of curiosity, he turned to Kris. Biting his bottom lip, he asked casually, "So, what do you think about Spider-Man?"  
  
Kristi was caught off guard. The whole Spider-Man thing happened a good hour ago. "AS what?"  
  
He put his hands in his pockets. "I dunno. That's why I'm asking."  
  
She thought for a moment. "Well, I think he's someone special. He's got a lot on his shoulders I would think. I couldn't imagine being able to do all the stuff he does. It's incredible and captivating. He reminded me of a picture actually, art in motion."  
  
He smiled for a moment. "How so?"  
  
"Well, I guess everyone is art in motion really, but he's different, because he gets dissed and dismissed but he does what he does anyway. That's beautiful. He must have a strong mind to surpass all the negative things that get thrown his way."  
  
"I'm sure the people he helps is his reward."  
  
She nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah. The way he does things is fascinating. His presence is such a powerful force. So many people would walk away from things like this. He doesn't. That's what's cool about him."  
  
"You really thought about that huh?"  
  
"Not really. I just said what I thought at that moment. Spontaneity is my thing. Gives things a sense of zest."  
  
"You make it sound like a seasoning."  
  
Dramatically, she exclaimed, "Spice of Life!"  
  
"Nice words."  
  
Sighing, she said matter-of-factly, "It's amazing what Roget could do for your vocab." It was quiet after that for the next five minutes. As they passed the coffee shop that was across the street from her apartment, she asked, "Well, would you like to go for coffee?"  
  
Peter glimpsed at his watch. "I'd like to, but I can't. I have to go in early for the Bugle to help get the Friday edition out. There are so many people coming down with stuff that I was ordered to come in, in case there's a shortage."  
  
She eyed him skeptically. "Ordered?"  
  
"You don't know Mr. Jameson. He doesn't ask, he tells."  
  
She walked onto her building steps. "Someone needs to get his attitude in check." The cool air blew quickly, and she tightened her jacket around herself.  
  
"Well, I certainly don't have the guts to attempt to. I kind of like the whole breathing on my own thing."  
  
Looking downward, she began to rock on her heels. "Well…I'll see you later then."  
  
He nodded his head slowly. Thinking quickly, he asked, "Do you want me to walk you up?"  
  
She smiled at his gesture. Looking up, she shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'll be fine."  
  
He smiled slightly. "Are you sure?"  
  
She had to turn away from his smile. It was just…so sweet looking. "Well I'll see you later. Are we still gonna review?"  
  
"I'll call you if I get out of the Bugle early."  
  
Nodding her head, she responded, "Okay. Later."  
  
"Later Kris." He watched her walk up the steps slowly. Once the door closed, he stuck his hands in his pockets and walked home.  
  
  
  
Note: Don't forget to review please! 


	6. Chapter Six

Note: I'm sorry about being so long with updates, but with the site being down and me just not having the time to get on the computer and get this chapter out…I guess what I'm saying is…there aren't enough hours in the day for me! I considered this a nice little break, so I wrote a lot…sorry for the space if it's too long for you. I'm sorry again for the delay…well, here's Chap. 6. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  


Things got weird between Kristi and Peter. Ever since that talk they had at the art exhibit, he began to call her about whether he should talk with M.J. more. He felt he had a revelation. Maybe the doubt was coming from the fact that he didn't truly know the girl he said he "loved". Kristi supported him, but she wasn't aware of how far it would go. From then, Kristi could only note he was spending more time with M.J. than usual. Not a dramatic increase, but a noticeable one anyway. It appeared to her that he was trying to make up for something. Apparently, her relation to him and that painting hit home a little more than she thought it would. She wasn't looking for him to exclaim, "My God, you're right!" She was more or less trying to pry him open. Things weren't easy for him, and she knew this. Matter of fact, she probably understood where he was coming from more than anyone else did. He felt he pushed M.J. into the arms of his best friend; she began to feel that she pushed him into the arms of M.J. As much as she hated to admit it, she was being a jealous, little brat. She wouldn't stoop to do something that would go against M.J., but damn it…it was tempting. It wasn't as though Peter would take her word for it if she did decide to do something malicious and manipulative, but he would think about what she said. He always did. In other words, she had credibility and trust in her corner. With that being said, how could she do something to possibly lose it?  
  


As for the exhibit, that just put the icing on the cake. He was thinking now. She could practically hear the wheels turning his head every time she saw him. M.J. came up as a topic a lot more often, and she could only blame herself. She opened up this can of worms by what: Analyzing that stupid picture. She could only either smile at or smack herself at her stupidity. It seemed as though he was becoming distant more and more each day. He bailed on six study sessions, hadn't called to talk to her days at a time, and they were drifting it seemed. It had been like that for a solid three weeks going on week four. The first week didn't seem so bad. Neither was the second, but the third and fourth…well, they weren't that great. When they would talk, it would be about a conversation he had with M.J, how they went for coffee one day and the park another.   
  


Harry didn't seem to mind this though. He just thought they were bonding. Kristi couldn't help, but feel tossed aside.  
  


Peter on the other hand thought nothing of it. In fact, he thought that's what Kristi was suggesting. With all of their talks and all of his doubts, he began to wonder if he really knew the girl next door. Did he know her at all? There were those times when he would watch her from afar and make mental notes to himself of her tendencies, but did he really know her? They had spent most of their lives as acquaintances, if even that.  
  


Because he wondered about this so much, he decided that well…maybe he should make an effort to get to know M.J. They've talked before, but never had a true conversation. The only thing that really brought them together was Harry, her boyfriend, and Spider-Man, the masked man who appeared to be following her.  
  


Everything was a jumble for him. He meant every word he said at the exhibit. Everything was so cloudy. Maybe the blessing Kristi was talking about was the fact that his doubts held him back. If he had doubts, he would explore them thoroughly, leading to him spending more time with M.J without leading her on. He knew he couldn't endanger her life, but that doubt of something else, that one mysterious object that had claimed him, was also holding him back. Talking with M.J. just might be the biggest clue in the puzzle. And besides, he figured Kristi wouldn't mind, after all, it was her idea. Or at least that's how he interpreted it.  
  


With all this abundant free time that fell into her lap, Kristi concentrated more on her spiders than anything else. She needed something to take her mind off the things at hand. The warm weather of March that began to sweep through marked the count down. The time was nearing for her hatchling to emerge and frankly, she was ecstatic. She almost felt like a mother of some sort, but she needed a break. Deciding to somehow salvage what she considered a small friendship that she and Peter now still had, she decided she'd call him to see if he was doing something that night.  
  


Kristi was lying on her bed with her phone in her hands. She felt fear for some reason. Maybe it was because she was scared he'd say no. She glanced at the clock. The blue numbers read: 6:35. With a quick sigh, she dialed his number before she could think twice about it.   
  


It rang twice before he picked up. "Hello?"  
  


She could smack herself right now. "Pete? Hey, it's Kris."  
  


Peter sounded shocked. "Oh...hey Kris."  
  


'Please…don't sound so happy.' she thought sarcastically. "What's up?"  
  


"Nothing much. I was just talking to someone on the other line."  
  


Ooh…a way out…"Oh my bad. I'll let you go then."  
  


"Well wait. Did you want to talk?"  
  


'Spit it out!' her mind screamed. "Well I was wondering if you wanted to go to the movies or something tonight. I'm trying to get away from my work for a while."  
  


He rubbed his neck carefully. "Well I was going to just stay at home. I had a rough day at the newspaper. Jameson was himself. That's self explanatory."  
  


"Oh…" She took a deep breath. "Okay. I know what its like to just want to stay home."  
  


He wasn't oblivious to her disappointment. "Maybe some other time?"  
  


She looked down at her comforter. She picked at the thread on it. "Yeah, maybe some other time. Well, I'll let you get back to your call."  
  


Something was wrong with this…"Kris wait." He racked his brain for something to say. They weren't talking very much lately and he knew it. "How's your research?"  
  


"It's good. I should be nearing completion soon."  
  


"That's good. Well look, I have to go. I'll talk to you later?"  
  


"Alright."  
  


"Later."  
  


"Later." Kris hung up and just stared at the phone. She placed her head down on her pillow and just shut her eyes. Oh well…another night by herself. She could still go to the movies. It's not like she'd die if she went by herself. Lord knows she's had many bouts of being alone…  
  


Peter clicked back over to the other line. "Hey. Sorry about that."  
  


"Oh that's okay Peter," M.J. chirped. "Who was it?"  
  


"It was just Kris. She wanted to know if I wanted to do something tonight."  
  


"Ooooh!! We should go out. Harry has to work at OSCORP again tonight, and he left me hanging. Want to fill in?"  
  


"I was planning on staying home."  
  


M.J. grinned on the other line. "Well, you aren't anymore. You're going out with me."  
  


He smiled at this. "Really…I didn't plan on it."  
  


"Well too bad Peter Parker. I'm going to be at your apartment in twenty-five minutes and you better be ready to go."  
  


"M.J.-"Click. She hung up. Just like that. He thought she was just playing and would leave the conversation at that, but she was as serious as a heart attack. The more and more he talked with her, the more different she seemed. He had often pictured her to be nice, sweet, and understanding. He didn't think she would be as pushy or aggressive as she had been. He had hoped that talking with her more than he had been would mend some bridges and lift the dust. He didn't want things to stay rough between them. It was a win/win situation. He could find out the real M.J. and make things not so tense between them. Even if he didn't understand the doubt, they would still be cool. Sighing to himself, he said thoughtfully, "Well, I guess going out won't kill me…"  
  


Kristi left her apartment at 7:10 to catch the 7:30 show. She decided on seeing We Were Soldiers. She liked war movies and it has Mel Gibson, which was just another plus. She bought her 6.50 ticket and went inside.  
  


M.J. pulled Peter out of his door and told him that she heard that 40 days and 40 nightswas good, so they decided to see that. M.J. gripped the hem of her snug fitting crimson shirt. It felt good to go places with Peter. It was fun. She liked the fact that he was talking with her. Things were finally going her way, and she loved it. It sounded as though he were trying to get to know her. Maybe that's what her problem was…she rushed into everything. They had never talked to each other very much. Maybe he felt threatened by the pressure. And Harry…he welcomed this! She found that hard to believe. True, he wasn't oblivious to the tension between them, but come on! It was almost as though he were making it okay for his girlfriend to go out with someone else. But it was just Peter after all. He told her that he wanted her and Peter to get along. He wasn't completely sure about what happened with them to cause them to "fallout", but he figured this was a blessing.   
  


Either way, no matter what anyone thought, the important thing was that she was with Peter now and that's what mattered. She could only smile in triumph.   
  


Peter glanced over at M.J. while they were walking to the movie theater. She was smiling like a Cheshire cat. "What are you so happy for?"  
  


She hadn't realized that she had been smiling. Covering herself, she just shrugged her shoulders. "Oh…nothing. I just love Josh Hartnett."  
  


He just nodded his head slowly. "He's okay I guess."  
  


All was quiet. M.J. glanced over at Peter and saw his facial lines deepen as though he were in deep thought. "Pete, what's wrong? You seem out of it."  
  


He was thinking about M.J. The more he hung out with her, the different she seemed. It seemed as though she were a lot nicer to be around when he was…well…out of reach. Not that he was within grasp now, but it just felt that way. That disturbed him. Shaking his head slowly, he said, "Nothing. I'm just thinking."  
  


She hooked her long fingers into a belt loop in her blue jeans. "About?"  
  


He shrugged his shoulders before looking up. "Just stuff."  
  


Her eyes stared his down. "Tell me about it."  
  


'Kinda demanding…' he thought. Her eyes were staring his down hard…a little too hard for him. "No…that's okay. I'd rather keep it to myself."  
  


"Pete…tell me."  
  


"M.J., it's nothing."  
  


She rolled her eyes as she adjusted her black purse strap. "Apparently it is if you're acting like this."  
  


"Acting like what?"  
  


"Like this, all in a daze." She took a deep breath. "If you didn't want to come all you had to do was say so."  
  


He chuckled to himself. He couldn't believe this. Scratching the side of his head, he said relaxed, "I did say I'd like to stay at home, but you are about as strong willed as they come."  
  


She pushed a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "Well fine. I just won't try to get you out of your apartment any more."  
  


He smiled at her and shook his head. "C'mon M.J. You're not being fair about this. Besides, I don't mind going out." Was she really upset about this?  
  


"How so? How am I not being fair about this? You come and talk to me, but you won't open up to me? That's kinda hypocritical."  
  


"It's hypocritical because I won't tell you one thing? We've been talking for weeks, M.J."  
  


"Mainly about me."  
  


He was officially lost now. "M.J., what are you talking about?"  
  


She glanced at the movie theater as they approached it. Looking up toward the lights, she said sarcastically, "I'm talking about the fact of how you 'want' to get to know me, but you won't let me do the same."  
  


He started to laugh. "M.J…it seems as though every time I try to tell you something, you lose interest. I don't like boring people."  
  


"You never bore me."  
  


"Um, I was telling you about my Calculus class and about the teacher and what happened, you kept interrupting me, asking if we could move from the booth we were sitting at. Then when we did move, you complained about that spot," he said shaking his head. Adding emphasis, he added, "After I opened my mouth to start talking again."  
  


She rolled her eyes in a scoff. "Peter, that's crazy."  
  


"Just listen to yourself once. It seems as though I don't get interrupted when I'm saying something about you, but if it's about me, you don't want to hear it when I'm with you. It just seems, weird to me and-"  
  


She was beginning to be embarrassed. Was she really like that? Feeling the flush creep to her cheeks, she turned away from Peter. His eyes were entirely too much for her, and she didn't like the interrogation. Looking at the ticket line, she said hastily, "Let's just go get our tickets."  
  


He widened his eyes. "See! You did it again! You cut me off. You really just don't like hearing things…"  
  


She moved forward in the line. "I love hearing things, especially from you, but do you know how frustrating it is for me to sit there and try to figure out what it is you're analyzing me for? I feel like a science experiment."  
  


"I'm not analyzing you."  
  


"Well that's the vibe I get." They were arguing over something she knew he was probably right about anyway. Trying to back her way out of a corner, she used sympathy. "Ever since that day at the graveyard, I made an attempt to talk with you and get past it, you avoided me."  
  


He looked down at his hand somberly. "I didn't avoid you." Chuckling for a moment, he added, "You didn't make that much of an effort until me and Kristi got closer as friends." His head shot up quickly and he hit her with humor on the shoulder. "Are you jealous of her?"  
  


M.J. dropped her jaw. Her face blushed and her speech became flustered. "I-No! I-I have nothing to be jealous of."  
  


'This is getting interesting,' he thought. Folding his arms, he asked, "What does that mean?"  
  


"It means that from the looks of it, there's nothing going on, but a mutual relationship. And another thing, if you wouldn't talk about her so much, then maybe I wouldn't feel uncomfortable around you."  
  


"She's one of my best friends, and we share classes together. She's an interesting person. You've been with her. You can't say she isn't. And besides, when there really is nothing to say, it's a conversation starter. I never meant anything by it."  
  


"Yes I know she's interesting, and you know what, maybe I am jealous of you two, but damn it Peter…my feelings are involved to. You act like what I said to you at the graveyard has no meaning at all. At least give me the respect I deserve and not rub in my face that you're hanging out with a new girl."  
  


His eyes flew up in astonishment. "She is not just a new girl, as you put it SO nicely, she's my friend. I mean really…it's just Kristi! Come on M.J.! You're acting childish." He had to calm down, but man, where was she going with this? When it was finally their turn to buy their tickets, Peter pulled out a twenty and handed it to the cashier. Getting their tickets and his change, he looked at her with sad eyes. He had respect for her probably more than anyone else he had ever met. Taking a deep breath, he continued in a lower tone. "I believed you when said those things, and I'm not trying to disrespect you."   
  


"Well…you have a funny way of showing it."  
  


"I have a funny way of showing a lot things. I'm not good with the whole share and show your feelings thing. I'm sorry if I made you feel inadequate."  
  


M.J. kept her head down. She shook her head and swallowed hard. "Look...let's forget this, okay? The movies bout to start and I want some popcorn. Really, buttery popcorn." She flashed her teeth at him. He smiled slightly and looked down. He really was quite bashful, and she enjoyed it.  
  


After her movie got out, Kristi went to the bathroom. Kristi felt herself being quiet. Not just verbally, but mentally. Her mind shut down everything and concentrated on what was in front of her. She did everything mechanically: washed her hands, dried her hands, and threw the wet paper away adroitly. She sighed at her complexion and walked away. She opened the door quickly, only she didn't that there was someone else there. "OH! I'm sorry! Are you all…right?" Her last words came out slowly. She knew who it was.  
  


Peter dropped his mouth. He shifted his weight some. "Kris, I…um…hey."  
  


Kristi blinked twice and then smiled…in irony. Kristi shared a look between M.J. and Peter. It seemed as though every time they got together with Kristi, they always gave the impression that they were hiding something. Kristi was getting tired of it. She did not need babying. What she needed was for people to be upfront with her. It seemed as though that was at the top of her list of things craved.   
  


M.J. glanced toward Kristi. A glint of humor danced in M.J.'s eyes as she looked at Kristi's face that was currently distraught and upset. She almost felt bad about the pleasure it gave her. Smiling she said, "Hey Kris, I didn't know you were here."   


"Well, I can say the same." Peter's cheeks flushed. Coughing lightly, Kristi asked, "Did you just get out of the movie or were you going in?"

  
  


"We just got out."

  
  


She nodded her head slowly. So that means they went to the movies at the same time as her..."Hmm, well...was it good?"

  
  


M.J. smiled brightly. "Oh sure! We saw 40 days and 40 nights." She bumped Peter in the hip playfully. "Did you like it?" 

  
  


Peter wasn't thinking about the movie at the moment. What he wanted to know was what was she doing there...It is a public place after all. Giving a guilty smile, he said, "Oh...it was...okay, I guess."

  
  


"It was hilarious Kris! Maybe you should go see it some time..."

  
  


"Yeah...maybe some other time." Kristi glimpsed at her watch quickly. "Oh look at the time! I need to get going now. Maybe I'll see you both later…" Smiling curtly, she turned and began to walk away. It figured that fate would rear its ugly little head in this.   


"I'm gonna go ahead and go to the restroom…Pete?"  
  


"Yeah. I'll be out in the front when you get back." When M.J. walked in the restroom, he walked off in Kristi's direction.   
  


She could almost kick herself at her stupidity. When she really thought about it, did she truly have a reason to be upset? Yeah, he said he wasn't going out and bam, they bump into each other. Was there really something that wrong with her? She knew she didn't have the circumstances or luck that M.J. had: A to die for figure she showed off with pride and guys falling all over her because of it. She knew she wasn't at all a true beauty, at least she never thought she was, but she figured she had a good enough personality. Because of outward awkwardness, no one would get to know it because she was often judged before hand. Still, she at least expected her "friends" to be upfront with her. She should have been used to this sort of thing by now, but she could only figure that no one can even truly get used to rejection.  
  


"Kristi! Kris, wait a second." Peter jogged up next to her and began to walk with her on her way out of the theater.  
  


She began to laugh. Never breaking her stride, she said mildly, "Ya know, I was seriously hoping that you had a twin running around somewhere."  
  


He shook his head at her. "It's not what you think."  
  


She chuckled this time. "Oh trust me, you have no idea of how I think." Her slender fingers reached for her temples. Beginning to massage them, her dark eyes squinted inward. In a voice a little above a whisper, she suggested, "If you didn't want to come with me, all you had to do was tell me."  
  


Déjà vu? Peter held up his hands in defense. "It's not that I didn't want to-"  
  


She stopped walking and turned toward him. "If you had plans, I would have understood."  
  


"That's not how it is. If you would just let me explain-"  
  


"Peter, are you feeling guilty about something?"  
  


He did feel guilty. He felt like he betrayed her. He knew what she was feeling, being passed up for someone else, but he never meant for it to happen. His nose wrinkled in disappointment in himself. Smiling wryly, he commented, "I wouldn't if you'd let me explain."  
  


"Well, most people don't need to give explanations if they've done nothing wrong. And besides, I'm not your babysitter. You can go out with whoever you want. It's of no concern of mine."  
  


"You know that I'm still dissecting this. I'm still trying to figure all of this out. You know that. What you told me at the art exhibit really opened my eyes." He ran his hand through his soft, brown hair. With a sigh, he added, "And as for coming here, she forced me to."  
  


She shook her head at his answer and began to pace. "First of all, blowing off people was not quite what I had in mind when I talked to you. When we did talk about this, and you asked that maybe you didn't know her, I said, well that might be the problem. I didn't mean spend every waking moment with her and blowing off everyone else a.k.a me, but then again, that could be considered a biased statement considering who it is coming from. Call it jealousy, call it whatever you want, but that's not cool Pete." She stopped pacing for a moment and gave him a funny look. "And second of all, she forced you?"

  
  
  


He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah."  
  


She looked away from him. "Right, okay. You got forced to go to the movies. Maybe next time I should come by and hold a gun to your head."  
  


He started to blush at how he sounded. He got forced into going to the movies…that's not entirely accurate. Looking downward he made a meek smile. "I'm trying to be serious about this. I agreed to go because I figured it couldn't hurt me, after the second or third time she told me I was going." He blew out a quick sigh. Making direct eye contact, he admitted, "And I know I haven't talked to you that much lately, and I know I've been distant in class, but I've been thinking a lot. This thing has really got my mind thinking, you have no idea."  
  


"I think I could fathom one…"  
  


"I'm finally learning about her and myself in the process."  
  


Kristi just nodded her head at him with a weird smirk on her face. "Well, I'm glad things are going so well for ya'll that she has you on a leash."  
  


He held his hand up at that. "Whoa…that was low."  
  


She shot her eyes up at him. "No, you want to know what's low? Feeling like a tossed aside piece of trash. That's low. Being passed over by your friend because you obviously weren't gifted enough to persuade people," she paused for a moment, smiled brightly and continued, "correction, TELL people what to do. That is low. So don't even come to me with that mess. I respect your whole 'quest' thing that's going on. Maybe I don't have enough patience, but it's frustrating to attempt to talk to someone when they…just aren't there." She shook her head at her attempt to explain. It was pointless. She felt as though there weren't the right words in the world to explain how she felt at that moment, but "tossed aside" felt like it fit nicely.  
  


"I don't want you mad at me because I came to the movies anyway with someone else when I said I was going to stay at home."  
  


Adding with sarcasm, she said, "Well, I guess I just wasn't the right person who asked…right?" She just shook her head.   
  


"I know you hate being babied about something like this and I know that you aren't the kind of person to let something like this get to you, but it has. So this is my eye opener to know I'm in the wrong here."  
  


"Peter…you just said so yourself that you knew I wouldn't care. I do care…there goes that denial thing. But listen to me, don't explain your matters and your affairs with me because I want to act like an infant. It's none of my business. Just let me get out my tantrum and don't worry about it, because this really is something quite pointless. My only beef is that you don't ignore me. That's all I want." She smoothed her dark hair's loose strands back roughly toward the messy bun. Everything wasn't said that she wanted to say, but she wasn't one for getting into confrontations with people. It shocked her that it went on this long. She knew she was telling how she felt, but at this point, she was pinning it all on him and she knew shouldn't have. Licking her lips, she glimpsed at her watch. "I've got to go. It's getting late and I've still got some work to do."  
  


He shook his head at her. Grabbing her arm, he started, "Kristi-"  
  


She held up her hand, but she wouldn't look at him. "Peter…you have no reason to try to explain yourself. I mean after all, I'm not your mother. All of this doesn't matter and I'm sorry that I dragged ita long and made it into drama. How I feel or what I feel about you going places does not matter and its stupid of me to think that it does when its something so menial as going to the movies. "  
  


He turned her head so she would look at him. "How you feel about everything does matter."  
  


She lifted her head to the heavens and let out a loud sigh. Why did he have to try to fix everything? She knew she was being ridiculous with this, even though in the back of her mind she did have a point."No, it doesn't. Words are funny things, Parker. They can be the most useful and fulfilling things or they can be the most pointless and meaningless things alive. You choose how you just used those words. If you meant them, you could find something to back that statement up with …couldn't you? Can you?"   
  


He felt like crap now. Staring at her, he said, "Right now."  
  


For the first time that night, she smiled genuinely. Shaking her head at his naïveté, she stated, "Nope…right now, you feel guilty, and you feel like crap. I can see it in your eyes. You just don't want to be the bad guy. And you aren't one, so stop thinking it."   
  


His intense eyes never left hers, but tried to see through her own. The task was never an easy one. There was so much inside of her that he didn't understand, wanted to understand, and wanted to be apart of that it all puzzled him. For the life of him, he never wanted her to be upset with him. Their friendship was probably one of the most important things to him.   
  


His glance was probably the most unnerving things he possessed. She knew he meant no harm at all, but sometimes, most things happen without cruel intentions attached. She shrugged her shoulders at him. "Yeah…I'm going to go now. Later."  
  


He started after her, but decided against it. She was not going to let him get off and he knew it. He rubbed his hands on his face. Not only had he achieved offending two people, but two women. That was probably the biggest mistake he could make. He shook his head at himself. "This is not a good day…"  
  


Once Kristi reached her apartment, she fell on to her sofa with a smirk. This was funny to her. It figured that she would bump into him at the movie theater, the same movie theater that he didn't feel like going to…funny, funny stuff that is. He wanted to find out what this was he was feeling, but he was being adamant about it. She didn't think that it was completely necessary for him to spend every waking moment with M.J., and she knew that M.J. was loving every moment of it. Maybe it was jealousy talking…Kristi let it go and went to sleep on her sofa.  
  


The next day, Kristi's spider hatched. She waited a week before she began testing it.   
  


She sat down on a shiny silver stool. After gassing the inside of the glass case that held the spider to paralyze it, Kristi lifted the glass case after the spider fell. Removing the case, she began to test the spider's blood.  
  


Sampling some of the blood, she recorded to the changes on her computer. Her eyes widened in excitement as the computer scanned through its records of recorded species of spider…this species…was not found. Astonished, she said with a mumble, "I did it…I did it…" Amazed too much by her find, she didn't notice that the spider had awakened…  
  


It crept slowly toward her hand, sensing heat with pedipalps…it inched closer and closer.   
  


Her hands began to sweat with anticipation. All she could do was brainstorm on what she needed to do…how to present this…there was so much work to do. Reaching for the outlet for her computer notebook, she plugged it in with her right hand. At that same moment, she felt a sudden pinch of pain in her left hand. She flung her left hand up in shock, only to see the spider still on her hand. Not watching where her hands flew, her arm flew straight into a lamp, breaking the bulb. Her sweat and blood trickled onto the wires of the cracked bulb, causing her to electrocute herself.  
  


Pain soared completely through her body as she convulsed from the waves of electricity. She could feel the current seeping through her body and through her veins. Her body shook so much, it forced the lamp to become unplugged, forcing her to fly across the room from shock and slam against a wall, knocking pieces of her equipment onto the floor. She slid down the wall to the floor, breathing hard and trying to focus her eyesight. She blacked out.  
  


Fifteen minutes had gone by before she woke up. Shaking slightly, she forced herself to stand up. Taking steady steps, Kristi slowly made her way to her desk feeling somewhat light headed. It felt as though her body parts were getting rearranged. It was almost as though her organs were being molded inside of her. Electricity didn't do this. Everything soon began to get darker again.  
  


"Oh God…what's happening to me?" She glanced at her hand. There was a two-inch gash from where she cut herself on the bulb. She reached for a needle and placed a crimson droplet on the slide. She slid it under the microscope. Zooming in on her cells on her computer, her eyes widened in dismay. "What have I done?" All of her blood cells were taking on a metamorphosis; one that she knew could only lead to trouble. Shutting her eyes for a moment, she got a rush of adrenaline soon followed by dizziness and the spasmodic movement of her insides. She staggered around the room, trying to reach for a phone. Her vision was getting blurry by the second and her breath was harsh.  
  


She looked around with no resolution in sight. She couldn't find the phone on her own, she could barely see. Then, the phone rang. She staggered toward it with quickness that only matched her austere breathing. Finding her headset, she placed it on her head and tapped it once. "He-hello?"  
  


"Kris, hey." Peter figured he should talk to her. It had been a week and they hadn't really spoken a word to each other. Slowly, he mustered out a, "I, I'm sorry. Can we talk?"  
  


She took her breaths quickly. "R-right now, I'm finding that t-to be a d-difficult t-task."  
  


"Why? Are you all right?"  
  


"As of r-right n-now, that's a m-matter of op-pinion." She swallowed hard, attempting to sound normal.  
  


"What's going on?"  
  


Her chest began to tighten in pain. Her legs felt like jello and her body was beginning to shut down. The tears were swelling up in her eyes now. "I-I don't kn-know…"  
  


"Are… you… all… right?"  
  


Shutting her eyes, she said with tears, "I-I d-don't think s-so. I-I n-need you to c-come by…p-please."  
  


His eyes widened on the other side of the phone with some sort of hidden dread in him. "Sure, I'm on way. Is the door locked?"  
  


"Th-there's a k-key under the fl-floor board un-under the m-mat. P-Pete I…"   
  


"Just hold on…I'll be right over! Okay? I'm coming Kris!" With those last few words being said, she fell to the floor, the phone landing softly next to her. She lost consciousness as body began to writhe in pain.  
  


"Hello? Hello!" The line was dead. Darting around for his jacket, Peter grabbed it suddenly and ran for the door. As soon as he opened, he was met with a teary eyed M.J. It would be just his luck.  
  


She looked at him with sad eyes and said, "Peter…I need someone to talk to…please?"  
  


Why was he superman all of the sudden! Man, this was gonna sound bad…"I-I can't talk now…something's wrong with Kris and I-"  
  


Looking down, almost ashamed, she said quietly, "Oh…I understand, I can just leave or something." Tears were coming to her eyes again. She knew Peter wouldn't turn her away now…  
  


Looking exasperated, he said finally, "Can we talk on the way there?"  
  


"I really need to talk to you now…please Peter."  
  


Sighing quickly, he said, "Alright, come in. I don't want to rush you, but I have to hurry…"  
  


…………………

Kristi woke up slowly. Looking down at where she was, she soon remembered what happened. Jumping up with a start, her eyes darted all around her. Where were the spiders? The super spider was still in its cage and so was the mating spider. Where was the other one? Looking around, she saw where she was shocked and saw the other spider…dead. Breathing hard, she looked around everything nervously. Everything seemed clearer through her eyes and her entire body felt stronger. She looked at her hand that hit the bulb. There was a gash along the top of it, but not much blood was coming out of it.  
  


Reaching for her keyboard, she jumped back in fright as electricity shot from her fingers at the monitor. She looked at her palm wearily, trying to make sense of what had happened. Thinking quickly, she looked for another needle. Reaching out for it…it jumped to her hand. "This is getting way too freaky." Using the needle, she took a blood sample from her already open hand wound. She looked at the blood droplets. Freezing the image of her cells, she looked back in the computer archives and compared the two tests. The cells were similar but somehow different. On the new droplet, the cells had electric currents shooting between them. "How can electricity do this to someone?" She began to look at the cells frame by frame.   
  


Her head turned slightly at the sight. She scooted closer to the monitor so she would have no excuse of thinking it was her eyes. Looking more closely at the cells, she looked at the current cells in motion. She saw something that completely astonished her. There was a particle of some kind in the blood… probably a small piece of dirt she figured. But what scared was the fact that the cells didn't just bump around like normal. One cell repelled the dirt, almost like a magnet does when pushed with another magnet just like it. The dirt jumped away from it.   
  


Picking up the needle, she held it in her hand warily. Throwing it up, she pointed her hand out. The needle just fell to the floor. "Maybe I'm just hallucinating." She turned her back to the needle and back to the screen. Something in her wanted to try the needle again. She turned around slowly and put her hand out for the needle. As she bent down to pick it up, it jumped to her hand again. Taking a deep breath, she placed the needle between her fingers and tossed it up. Keeping her hand out, she actually concentrated. Shutting her eyes hard, her mind began to… move around. She could feel something going on but wasn't sure. "You're being ridiculous…" opening her eyes slowly, she peered through the eyelids. What she saw scared her witless. The needle stayed suspended in air, right above her hand. Moving her hand swiftly, the needle flew across the room. "How can this be? This is not one of the traits of the super spiders." She looked at the spider she used as a mate. She never did classify it…  
  


She gassed the mating spider quickly. Within minutes, the spider fell, and she began test on it. Sampling some of its blood, she looked at the cells. They had objects flying from the cells also. But this was a regular spider. She racked her brain for an answer. How can a regular spider have these types of traits. Then she remembered where she got the spider from…the truck that was heading from a chemical spill. She thought back to that day's conversation…   
  


"'Hey, they had an explosion of some sort at the old Forbes plant.'  
  


'The chemical plant?'  
  


'Yeah…The dirty thing got on when I stopped at the plant. I still had the bloody truck open for a while. Little thing musta hitched a ride…'"  
  


"Jesus," she whispered, "A genetically altered spider and a chemically enhanced one…" Looking back at the now dead spider by the outlet, she only covered her head in her hands. Removing her hands from her face, she realized there was restriction. Looking at her hand, there was a silky material connecting her hand to her head. "Um yeah…this just isn't cool." Taking her blood sample, she scanned her computer records with it to confirm her notion. Just as it said with the other spider…this species was not found…but ranked the blood as a new species. Quickly, she deleted the information from the records…   
  


She glanced around the room. Peter! "Oh crap…he was supposed to come by." There was no sign of someone coming to her lab. She walked toward the white door and opened it. Peeking her head around the door, she shouted, "Peter?…Peter?" She glanced around the hallway…he wasn't there. With her feet hitting the carpet stairs, she ran down abruptly. Her front door was locked…there was no note or anything. He hadn't come…  
  


Kristi didn't go to school that day. She felt too weird and entirely…too good. Her body felt as though it had just awaken from a deep sleep. Things were clearer and her mind was straight. The day after, she tried to get dressed, but most of her clothes didn't fit her properly. They were loose. She had never really been one to like loose clothes. She couldn't figure out why she had chosen to wear these clothes like that…but now, she felt as though she should wear clothes that…fit.  
  


Dialing up her mom, she asked quickly, "Do you think you could get off of work…I'm thinking about going on a shopping spree. I think I might need a new wardrobe…"

…………………………

The next day, Kristi went to her classes. She needed time to adjust to what happened. She felt refreshed and not nearly as modest or shy as normal. She held her head up more, looking the world head on. She was never worried about what people thought about her, she never thought that much about herself. Now, she had some respect for herself. Looking in the mirror that morning, she realized she had a figure, an athletic one at that. She was almost positive it wasn't as evident before… her skin was smoother to touch and her legs had a more defined tone to them.. Her eyes were the same, dark and mysterious, but that hidden depth that she had purposely kept hidden, was now emerging. Her face, in general, was nicer to look at, at least from her perspective. She smiled at her reflection. For once, she saw herself and was proud.   
  


She walked through the park on her normal path to her English professor's class to see what she missed. Not really paying attention to where she was going through the park, Kristi had her head down, digging in her book bag for her English notebook. Something told her to watch were she was going, but she ignored it. Pulling out a couple of papers, she glanced over them. She was just about to put them back into her book bag, but bumped into someone, causing them to scatter all over the ground. Shaking her head at her own clumsiness, she said, "Excuse me, I'm sorry about that."  
  


The blond girl brushed her shoulders off and threw her green eyes at Kristi. "You better be."  
  


'Oh great…it's My-Size Barbie,' she thought with dread. "I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it, Kim."   
  


Beginning to bend down to pick up her papers, she soon felt herself being jerked back up. "Aren't you a flip little somebody?"  
  


'Calm down Kristi…calm…down…' she told herself. Looking Kim head-on, she said with ease, "I can be, but right now, I'm just stating facts."  
  


Kim eyed her funnily. She wasn't oblivious to the change in Kristi, but hey, once a dork, always a dork. "You better watch it dork."  
  


Kristi's brown eyes shot up. "Excuse me?"  
  


"You heard me dork, why don't you watch where you're going and why don't you move out of MY way?"  
  


Nodding her head, attempting to let it go, Kristi just answered, "Yeah, whatever." Shaking her head she mumbled in Creole, "Kofè to-ye ein femèl chen…?"   
  


Kim jumped in her face and slapped her book bag out of her hands. Smiling sourly, she asked, "What was that?"  
  


'Why are you such a bitch,' Kristi thought. Instead, she just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "Oh nothing at all. I was just reveling in the fact that you managed to use your entire vocabulary in one sentence. But here's a thought: Since the walkway is approximately 8 feet wide, and I have to pick up my things, why don't you go around?"  
  


By now, there was a crowd surrounding them, which made Kim rant even more. She craved the attention and would like it even more when she shut this little girl down. "Why should I have to move when there are people like you to push out of the way?"  
  


Kristi took a deep breath. "Because one of these days you're gonna attempt to push the wrong person and land flat on your face."  
  


Kim folded her arms. "Wanna see if that's true?"  
  


Kristi eyed Kim's K-Swiss and got an idea. Shrugging, she said with a bored tone, "Do what you want, I could careless." The girl lunged at her, and Kristi just slid out of the way. Using her mind, she forced Kim to step on her loose, white shoelace. Kim went flying toward the ground, face first into the moist dirt. Shrugging her shoulders innocently, Kristi bent down to began picking up her navy blue book bag and the few papers that fell out. Kim laid on her stomach in a complete daze. Not only did this girl have the gall to challenge her in public, but also she ended up tripping over her own two feet. She sat up on her knees and attempted to wipe the dirt off of her cashmere pink sweater she had just bought.  
  


Putting everything back in its place, Kristi stood up calmly. She looked back at Kim's stunned face. When she made eye contact, she made a grin, which sent Kim's stunned look out the window and was soon replaced with one of pure hatred. Turning her head to the side, Kristi said matter-of-factly, "Maybe next time you should listen to us dorks…just so happens we're always right." And with that, Kristi turned her back to her and began to walk away.  
  


Hearing the laughter around her, Kim grabbed a clump of earth and threw it at the back of Kristi's head in an anger filled cry. "Just who…just who do you think you are?" she yelled while wisps of her bouncy blond hair fell out of place.  
  


Kristi felt that the dirt was coming, and she moved calmly to the side. Shocked for a moment as to how she knew it was coming, she shook it off long enough to tend to the matters at hand. Turning around, she raised an eyebrow at the girl who was still on the ground. She walked back toward Kim while making a strange noise.   
  


Kim was shocked again…she was laughing at her! Kim jumped on her feet and prepared herself for physical confrontation, but Kristi just looked at her like she was crazy. Kristi had a menacing look on her face…like an eagle circling its prey just before the kill. She was the eagle this time instead of the prey. "You want to know who I am?" She echoed. Kristi chuckled at her again. She'd get her alright…with words though. "I am just someone trying to walk to class without having to push people around by acting like some little princess who was put on a stool by God knows who." She inched closer to Kim. Kim, unconsciously, began to back away.   
  


Continuing with her rant, Kristi began again. "Now I think the real question is just who do you think you are? Oh wait, since you are your normal clueless self, let me break it down for you: You are a superficial, stuck-up, Malibu Barbie doll who needs to get her head out of her ass and realize that she is not all that, but only one-billionth of that. I'm tired of getting constantly pushed around by shallow, egotistical, ostentatious, spoiled brats like yourself. Maybe if you were a lil' more on the real then maybe we wouldn't be having a problem, but since you are about as real as the nose that was just recently put on your face, I think we just might." Kim stared at her gritted teeth. Kristi could almost hear them grinding together. Continuing, she said, "Why are you looking at me like you're shocked? Did you think it was impossible for you to be knocked down to our, quote, 'level'? Well look around your majesty." Kristi looked her up and down real quick before continuing, "Judging from the dirt that you're covered in and the fact that you were just rolling on the ground, I think we can see that it's a strong possibility that all stuck up princesses, like yourself, eventually get knocked off of their high and mighty stools. And just think…you did that all by yourself."   
  


Putting a finger to her head, Kristi made an expression to make it look like she was thinking hard. "Now that we had that nice little conversation, I would say that I summed you up nicely, don't you?" Kim glared at her with slit eyes. "Oh wait, you wouldn't know what half of those words mean, so here," Kristi dug around in her book bag and threw a pocket thesaurus at Kim's feet. "Use this. Even though I know it'll be a challenge for you," Kristi stopped for a moment, cleared her throat, and did her best imitation of Kim and a valley girl. "You can like always like go find like Ken to like look like the stuff up like for you." Swinging her hair like Kim normally did, she walked away. She could hear the laughter and the clapping behind her, but it didn't make her feel much better. Maybe she had gone to far, but she was so sick of people like Kim pushing people like her that it made her feel good to tell her off.   
  


Kristi kept walking with a perplexed look on her face through the park. Something of extreme importance happened to her, yet she couldn't do anything about it. She had always wanted to say that to Kim…and she pushed her buttons right then. She would fight…only when provoked though. She's told people off before, but not to that extent…she just let loose on Kim. It almost felt like someone stronger and powerful had emerged from her. It felt like it was her, but on a different level that she had struggled so hard to achieve. It was a release for her, and it felt damn good.   
  


Peter stopped walking and began to jog through the park. "Kristi…Kristi, hey wait up!" Jogging next to her, he reached for her arm. Taking a gulp of air, he asked, "Would you wait a second?"  
  


She shut her eyes for a minute and then rolled them. Stopping abruptly, she turned around quickly to face his eyes head on. Smiling sourly, she said, "Hello Peter."  
  


His blue eyes pleaded with her. "Please don't be mad at me. You had me worried. I'm sorry I couldn't come by, but something came up."  
  


"Well," bowing dramatically, she said sarcastically, "as you can see, I'm fine now." That was an overstatement. "No need for you to worry."  
  


Peter wasn't oblivious to the anger in her voice. After all, he didn't call her back; he didn't come by. "Kristi…please don't be like this, I couldn't help it."  
  


M.J. looked around until she spotted Pete, with Kristi. That HAD to be broken up. Jogging toward him, she said with a million watt smile, "Hey Pete! Thank you so much for staying with me the other night." She touched his bare arm with affection. Trying to turn him more toward her and away from Kristi, she said sweetly, "I'm glad you were right there with me."   
  


Peter shared an unsure smile between the two girls. Kristi just nodded her head, and said with resolution, "Well, I guess that's my cue to exit." With a very sardonic tone to her voice, she said calmly, "Bye."  
  


"Kristi! I- M.J. hold on."  
  


She had to keep those two separated. M.J. knew the feelings Kristi had for Peter, but she couldn't be too sure about Peter. She just had to get him back. "But Pete I need to talk to you for only two minutes. I promise."  
  


"If it takes only two minutes then it can be done some other time. I'm sorry M.J. but this just isn't a good time. Stay here…I'll be back." And with that, he ran after Kristi. "Kristi! Kristi wait…c'mon, don't be like this."  
  


"Don't be like what Pete? Please…elaborate."   
  


"Look, I meant to stop by the day before and yesterday but couldn't because I had my hands full. And as for that night…"  
  


Kristi nodded her head knowingly. "M.J. had a problem you had to help her with…right?" She was still bitter about the movie thing. She had hoped that maybe she had gotten through to him, but she was wrong.  
  


Rubbing his hand on the back of his neck, he said solemnly, "Well…yes. It was just bad timing." He knew things were still rough between them. She was still steaming over the whole movie thing. He wasn't oblivious to it. Then he didn't come by at all, nor did he call. When it came down to it, he was being a horrible friend, and he knew it.  
  


"Well…I guess that happens to the best of us huh? I'm not mad…I'm not mad at all. Just a little irked. But hey, if she needed help, who am I to get on her for going to you. After all…you both get along SO well now."  
  


He eyed her carefully. She sounded different. She was always sarcastic around him, but this time, there was more to it. "Are you okay? Seriously?"  
  


She nodded her head. "I'm fine. I made sure I was okay before I came to school."   
  


He touched her shoulder gently and lifted her head directly toward his so they could see each other eye to eye. "What happened that night?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper. When the words left his mouth, it amazed him by how much concern was in it. He was truly concerned, but there something else wrapped in the words.  
  


His blue eyes felt like they were burrowing a hole into her own. She saw something in them only for an instant. Suddenly a wave of shyness surrounded her. Looking down to cover herself, she said nonchalantly, "Something went wrong with one of my experiments…nothing for you to worry about." She had already decided that it would be better not to tell him all of what happened…not until she could get everything straightened out.  
  


He looked at her strangely. Everything she did worried him. "Yes it is…are you hurt or anything?"  
  


Still looking down, she turned her focus on her hand. "I'm okay from what I can see. Just got a little gash on my hand." It wasn't lying…directly. "It's nothing serious." At least she hoped it wasn't something serious.  
  


He eyed her hand carefully. He could see the crimson spots leaking through her crude cotton bandage. "Look at this…it looks like it's opened up again." Lifting his head up, he looked for a water fountain.  
  


Kristi, on the other hand, was just itching to get away from him. He made her feel things that she was too afraid to feel. She just stared at his form for a moment. This wasn't supposed to happen. She had willed herself not to let things like this happen simply because something would happen…something would happen to ruin it.  
  


"There's one, over there." He took her to the fountain and began to undo her bandage.  
  


"Pete…look, I'm on my way home, I can just redo it when I get there. Besides," she eyed the water nervously, "this is 'mineral' water. All that rust and iron floating around in there doesn't need to get in my blood stream."  
  


Smiling at her humor, he said with shrugged shoulders, "You were complaining before about not getting enough iron. Here's your chance to fix it." He gripped her soft hand gently, pulling it toward the water.  
  


She laughed at his attempts. Continuing to pull her arm, she said quickly, "If I want iron, I'll naw on a dumbbell. What this is gonna do is give me gangrene. I like my hand just the way it is, I don't like the thought of it falling off anytime soon."  
  


"Stop being a baby and let me put some water on the cloth. Just a little…" He dampened the cotton cloth and began to rub slightly.  
  


She could feel her hand beginning to tremble. His hands engulfed hers and they were just so soft. To cover up, she began to pull it away. "Pete, I can dress my hand myself, but thank you for the gesture." She began to pull it away from him, yet he held on to it.  
  


"I dunno…this is a pretty nice hand. I don't think I can say goodbye to it."  
  


Her eyes widened in humor. "To my hand? That's what they are used for…to wave goodbye. And besides, why would you want to hold a bloody hand?"  
  


"Because it belongs to you darlin!" He threw his cheek on the palm of her hand away from the blood. He threw some goofy eyes her way that forced her to laugh.  
  


God his cheek was smooth…remembering where she was and who she was, she took her hand away from his cheek. "Pete, you are a goober."  
  


"Well, I take that as a compliment." Smiling some more, he took her bloody hand again. He began to wipe it clean and pressed the cotton on the cut again. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his handkerchief.   
  


"Pete, don't use your handkerchief."  
  


"There's nothing else for me to use."  
  


"This is fine for now. I'm going home after I go by Prof Johnson to get some info on the class. All I have to do is go straight to the first aid kit, find more dressing, and I'll be set."  
  


"I already have this right here so why waste time." His eyes caught hers again. "It doesn't have snot or anything on it."  
  


She looked down and nodded her head. "Yup…you are a goober."  
  


He tied the white handkerchief around her hand. It seemed as though his hands lingered just a bit longer than needed…"There. All better." Looking up with a grin, he added, "Maybe I should change my major to medicine."  
  


Flexing her hand, she said with a smile, "If my hand doesn't fall off because of gangrene, then it just might look hopeful for you."  
  


"Well thanks for the bout of confidence." Peter continued to stare at Kristi oddly.  
  


"No prob." Kristi looked up from her hand to be met with blue ones analyzing her. She didn't quite like being under a microscope so Peter's glare freaked her out a little. She nervously pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "W-what are you looking at?"  
  


Shaking his head to break the trace, he covered his mistake. "N-nothing, I was just, noticing you."  
  


"Just noticing me? Well what have I been doing wrong for so long?" she asked with a smirk.  
  


He shook his head quickly. "No I mean…that came out wrong. There's something different about you." He glanced at her hair. The dark, silky tresses were flowing over her shoulders, an act very rare for them since they are normally secured in a bun. Her skin seemed to have a purer caramel tone to it. Her clothes fit her form, not nearly as loose as normal. Her dark blue jeans weren't quite skin tight but tight enough to show off the shape of her legs. Her cream turtleneck shaped itself around her upper body and her body length leather jacket gave her an air of modesty yet openness was all around her. She just seemed more…interesting to look at.   
  


Looking down at herself, she suddenly became self-conscious. "I'm still me I think," she responded while tugging her jacket closer to her.  
  


He just looked at her. It was almost as if his eyes had been opened to something new, almost as though things were in a different light with something hiding in the mists. "I don't know, you just seem different."  
  


Narrowing her eyes she asked warily, "Good different or bad different?"  
  


"Good! Most definitely good." He looked down in embarrassment. He was never this open with her about her appearance.  
  


She smiled for a moment. "Oh well…thank you," was all she could muster to get out. She had already put her head down out of shyness. She could feel her cheeks giving away to the rush of blood to them.   
  


He could feel her self-awareness and felt like fool for saying what he had said. He knew he sounded stupid, but he couldn't help it for some odd reason. Clearing his throat he said, "Well…would you like to meet up at CC's with our books? We could study for Martin's test?"  
  


"Um well…sure! When do you want to meet there?"  
  


"Well its three now…wanna meet there around six?"  
  


She smiled at him. "Okay. That's fine." Everything seemed, different somehow. His stare was unnerving, but she could have sworn that it was the same stare he had given M.J. so many times. She chuckled to herself at her stupidity. There was no way he'd look at her the same way. It just didn't happen. Snapping herself from her thoughts, she felt his eyes on her again. She was so nervous…Beginning to rock on her heels, she said finally, "Well now…I must be going. I'll see you in a bit I guess."  
  


He nodded his head slowly. "Alright…later Kris."  
  


"Later Pete." Lord help her if she didn't pinch herself…she turned and walked away so he couldn't see the grin of contentment on her face.  
  


This was something new for Peter. It was just Kristi, but it wasn't. She seemed more bold about herself, not nearly as modest. She still held that modest glow, but it seemed to be retreating more and more. For the first time he had seen her, she appeared…beautiful to him. He never thought of her as ugly, but just as Kristi. Now she seemed to have come out of her shell. He always knew that she would be a great person when she finally did, but he never knew beauty would follow. It was just Kristi, and yet she made him feel shy. He smiled slightly. Mumbling to himself, he said, "I think I like her like this…"  
  
  
  


Note: Okay….sorry for it being so long folks. I wanted to get a few things in that I thought I would need for this chapter to happen. Sorry again for the long wait. Don't forget to review please!  
  



	7. Chapter Seven

I want thank everyone who reviewed and apologize for it taking so long to get this out. Sorry about this, there is a little math in this one. Just a lil bit! Its all babble I think. But when you do work out the problem, it does equal that answer! Anyway…enjoy!  
  
  
  


Since the day she came back to school, everything was back to normal between Kristi and Peter. He had a cappuccino; she had a cappuccino, they studied and talked about what was going on their lives. Everything seemed to be cool now.  
  


Kristi liked the way things were going. It was as though nothing had changed, but she knew otherwise. Looks were different; smiles were different. Everything seemed to have something else hidden behind it.   
  


Peter's actions seemed different to him, and he was left wondering why. Things with M.J. just weren't really the same. She wasn't what he had hoped for her to be, and she had the most peculiar behavior.   
  


Kristi was the same, yet different also. Her actions were different, but Peter had no complaints. She presented herself differently, and was not as shy as normal. She still blushed when looks were thrown her way, but she presented herself with her head up instead of down. These actions made her more intriguing and more captivating.  
  


Since they began to spend their normal amount of time together again, they had more study sessions where no one was stood up. Ironically, studying had become the social highlight of Kristi's days, and was probably the most enjoyable moments she had.   
  


One of the biggest changes in her life was when she called the Institute. She told them her spider had died. She blamed it on the fact that perhaps she didn't wait long enough before beginning tests on it. There was absolutely no need for her to tie the Institute in with what happened to her. Last thing she wanted to become was their experiment. By her surprise, the people at the Institute were easy on her. Little did she know that Inconnu's Mr. Klefton and his penetrating emerald eyes had gotten to them.   
  


She told them she'd like to try again. They permitted her to do so, which was a bigger shock. Except this time they told her to take a break from it, to wait at least another twelve weeks before conducting studies again. This was strange to her also, but she didn't doubt the people. They had basically told her to take a sabbatical and that they would be by her apartment within the week to pick up the spider…for its own protection. She didn't quite like how that sounded, but who was she to argue?   
  


This meant she would have more time on her hands…Well, she didn't want to depend on her mother to pay for her bills, even though she knew she would be more than happy to oblige it since her daughter was always one to be independent. She took it upon herself to search for a job and found one at The Evening Store.  
  


One week later Kristi met up with Peter at CC's promptly at five o'clock. She held on to her book bag strap as her free hand pushed the warm door open. Her eyes scanned the small place. She had walked by the register when she spotted Peter. He was sitting at a table for two by the window that wore the CC's emblem.   
  


Peter was glimpsing through his notes when he lifted his head for the fifth time to the sounds of the door opening to the café. When his eyes fell on Kristi's, he waved her over to him. Kristi gave him a small smile. She walked toward him and plopped down on the wooden seat. "I ordered a cappuccino for you."  
  


She smiled again as she shrugged her jacket off. "Thanks." She pulled her 784-page calculus book, her notebook, calculator, and a pencil. When she looked up, she saw Peter's attentive eyes looking at her. Looking down to flip through her notebook, she asked quickly, "Um, where would you like to start at?"  
  


"Probably on chapter 12. That's all we've been talking about." At that moment, all he could think about was her face. It seemed so much more like a work of art or something out of a painting, beautiful with a hidden meaning under it all.  
  


"Okay, well, this seems simple enough. Trig functions and periodic functions. I gotta study this hard. Last time I got a 76 out of 95. I really just had a bad day with that test."   
  


"Well that's what's studying for." He looked down to find the chapter in his textbook. His fingers flipped through each paper carelessly until he found the page he was looking for. After eying a few problems, he looked back up at Kristina. Her eyebrows were furrowed inward, her hair fell slightly in front of her face, and she was tugging at her bottom lip.  
  


"Peter, remember that story about people who looked at Medusa and they turned into stone? I can't do that, but I'll try my hardest to duplicate it." Shooting her eyes upward, she said exasperated, "What exactly is it that you are looking at!?" Her eyes widened quickly as she leaned and whispered, "Do I have a booger hanging from my nose?" She rubbed her nose quickly. Tugging at her hair, she added, "Or do I have something crawling in my hair? What?"  
  


He stifled a laugh at her facial expression. "You have interesting habits. They intrigue me."  
  


"They intrigue you? How so?"  
  


"I don't see many people tug at their lips."  
  


She squinted her eyes at him. She was getting the third degree from his eyes because she tugged her lip? "Is that all?"  
  


He shook his head slowly. "No…..you are just really interesting to me."  
  


"Good way or bad way?"  
  


"Good." Kristi eyed him carefully. His crystal eyes looked weird to her. They were just…different. There was something behind them, and for the life of her, she couldn't figure it out. Breaking her thoughts, he said finally, "You look different, and it looks nice." Almost as if on cue, a redheaded guy and a brown haired guy walked by Peter and Kristi's table, eyeing Kristi appreciatively. Peter felt a pang hit him in the chest, but it soon passed as they walked out the door.  
  


Kristi, on the other hand, was completely oblivious.   
  


Tearing his blue eyes from the back of the two guys heads, Peter said quickly, "I'm not the only one who's noticed." She gave him a questioning glance as he nodded his head toward the window. The two guys that were in there earlier, were eyeing her though the window.  
  


She unconsciously backed away from it. She made a small smile and saw one of them hitting the other on the shoulder. That was new. Shaking her head at them, she mumbled, "Weird."  
  


He looked at her closer. "I wasn't trying to freak you out by saying that, but I just thought I would tell you that you look nice…that's all. Just thought you might want to know." It just hit him that he was talking and saying things that he found he wouldn't normally be saying. Kristi just stared at him. Blushing quickly, he looked down at his notebook. Shaking his head, he mumbled, "Idiot."  
  


Kristi couldn't believe her ears. He was trying to give her a compliment, and she knew it. It was too adorable to her. She didn't want him to feel bad about it, but what was weird about this was that he was normally so open with her, never embarrassed. He was acting shy around her. Smiling slightly, she said, "No you aren't."  
  


"Hmm?"  
  


"An idiot you are not."  
  


He bit his bottom lip and looked up slowly. "I said that out loud?"  
  


She shrugged her shoulders at him. "Yeah…..that's okay. Not everyone masters the inner monologue thing."  
  


He chuckled to himself. "Thanks. Makes me feel better."  
  


Flashing her teeth, she said a quick, "I know." They had, by this time, opened their books and began on one problem. A minute later, the waitress soon came by with both of their cappuccinos. She took a quick sip before they began to study. They were there for at least an hour and half talking and laughing over math until they came on a problem they couldn't agree on. "Pete, why would the electromotive force at point two sec equals 47.55?"  
  


He read the work straight from his notebook. "Because E times the volts equals 50 sine 120 pi times point two. When you work it out, it equals 47.55."  
  


She eyed the problem for a solid five seconds. "I'm not seeing it."  
  


"Look Kristi…" He worked out the problem again on her paper.  
  


"Why would you use sine?"  
  


"Because, you don't have the adjacent angle."  
  


"But you could get that from the 180 theorem."  
  


"It doesn't have a given right angle, and this isn't a straight line, so you can't automatically take 70 from 180 to get that angle."  
  


"But this forms the angle because of postulate four."  
  


He looked at the figure again. She was right. "Um…well…"  
  


"Wait a second," she mumbled. She looked at the problem closer and then at the figure. She smacked her head as she erased the problem. "Well that's the problem! Okay, I gotcha." Peter was lost. He had no clue what she was talking about. When she saw his confused face, she pointed to the problem. "I put the wrong number in the wrong spot on my figure. See…that's what happened. Then I assumed with the angles because of the wrong numbers and…" She scribbled the work down quickly. When she finished, she glimpsed over it and said finally, "Okay! I got it. That's what screwed me up on the test. Assuming angle measurements and getting the wrong postulate screwed me over. It's all really menial stuff."  
  


He grinned at her. "Looks like I proved the math genius wrong."  
  


She unfurled her tongue at him in humor. "Leave me alone! You didn't prove anything! You checked and didn't catch it."  
  


He put the eraser end of the pencil to his mouth. Nonchalantly, he said, "I wanted to make sure you could catch it."  
  


She rolled her eyes playfully at him. "Boy please! You didn't catch it, enough said."   
  


He shrugged his shoulders. "Blah, blah, details, details! Just admit it: You were wrong, I was right," he said while resting his hands on his head.  
  


Kristi stared at his grin. He was acting so confident, but she knew he was joking about it. She nodded her head in defeat. "Okay, you were right, I was wrong." Throwing her pencil down she said with a big stretch, "I'm tired of math. We've been here for….." she glimpsed at the clock on the wall, "an hour and a half. I need a break. I think my brain is gonna burn out." She eyed the coffee counter until something caught her eye. "I want some cake."  
  


He ran his hand down from his hair to his face with a sigh. "Cake sounds really good right about now."  
  


"Okay, cake is my treat. Deal?"  
  


"Okay, deal." Kristi waved the waitress over and ordered two pieces of the ice cream cake.  
  


Ordering two more cappuccinos with the cake, they waited for the waitress in silence. Peter was fiddling with the paper in his black notebook. Kristi rested her chin on her palm. She just stared at him. He was wearing a tan long sleeve shirt that curved around his semi muscular arms. Dark lashes hooded his blue eyes as he looked at his notebook carefully. Clearing her throat, she asked, "So Mr. Parker, what's up?"  
  


He kept his head to the paper and began to doodle. His shoulders went up. "I'm just thinking."  
  


Not much for conversation…Switching hands to put her chin on, she asked, "About?"  
  


He opened his mouth, but quickly shut it. He wanted to see what she was going to say. "Stuff."  
  


She just nodded her head. "Hmm." She looked back into her notebook and began to say what she was thinking. "Hey listen." She turned her head to the side. "It's 311." She listened intently to the lyrics of I'll be Here a While. She started to mumble a couple of the lyrics:   
  


Far is solace in the maddening pace,  
  


Sad state written on my face,  
  


Not a tight rope walk but dance,  
  


Uncertain game of chance,  
  


but I'll see it through in time   
  


Peter looked up quickly. She wasn't going to ask anything else? She gave up quickly. She just sat there, singing along to the song.   
  


Kristi stopped in mid sentence when she lifted her head and saw Peter. His eyebrow rose and then his head. He had a funny expression on his face. She held up her hands in defense. "Okay…..I'm sorry! I'll stop your ears from bleeding. I didn't think I was crooning that loudly….." He didn't look upset; he looked confused. That look seemed to be on his face more and more it seemed. "What's wrong?" Looking around, she asked nervously, "What…is there a giant blob behind me or something." She looked behind herself quickly. When she saw nothing, she turned back around. Her brown eyes narrowed. "Yo Pete, hello? Did math burn you out that much?"  
  


His eyes darted to one side before the came back to hers. "Just a hmm? That's it? You aren't gonna ask again?"  
  


"Um, no. You're thinking it so you obviously think its something that sounds better figuring out in your head then saying it out loud. Why force it out?" She almost laughed at his expression. He was truly in shock. "Why are you so freaked out by that?"  
  


He shook his head with a bitter grin. "See, I wish M.J. thought like that."  
  


'Lordy be,'she thought. Crossing her arms on the table, she asked, "Why?"  
  


"Because she gets freaked out and frustrated when I think."  
  


Kristi scratched her temple. "Um, I'm really in the dark here."  
  


"I could just not be saying anything, neither of us would be, so I'd think. And automatically, she demands to know what I'm thinking about." Seeing the waitress come toward their table, he began to put his books away. Kristi followed his action.   
  


The waitress came back with their mugs of cappuccinos and their slices of cake. Helping the woman take everything off of the tray, she added, "Sometimes things are better left in the head. Some folks don't agree though."  
  


Taking a sip of his cappuccino, he said solemnly, "Yeah. Sometimes I just don't like sharing my thoughts with people."  
  


Kristi nodded her head knowingly. "I know the feeling," she said as she eyed the cake. It had fluffy, swirl pudding as icing and a dark brown cake mixture with ice cream in between the two layers.  
  


He took another sip of his cappuccino. "I just like having thoughts to myself."  
  


Taking a bite of the cake, she nodded, "That's understandable." She thought this was hilarious. He was complaining about how much he liked having his thoughts to himself, and here he was rambling them out loud like nobody's business.  
  


He looked down at the cake before continuing. "She gets so upset when she can't read me like a book. I don't understand. You would think she would be bored of being able to. I would have thought everyone was," he said as he picked his fork up.  
  


Chewing slowly, she added, "Well maybe there's a new factor. Curiosity maybe?"  
  


He shook his head at the word. "Too much of it."  
  


Taking another bite, Kristi said, "Well, the mind is something special. Thoughts are probably the only thing no one else can find out unless you tell them. So, automatically, people want to know what you're thinking. They can't tap into that part of your life without permission. It's a 'want what you can't take' sort of thing. It all has to be given to you." She reached for her sea green coffee mug. "The more guarded, the more coveted."  
  


"Still, I was thinking about her most likely. My thoughts and opinions about her shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's only my opinion anyway, what does it matter in the scheme of things." He put his fork in his mouth.  
  


Kristi's fingers stopped halfway on their journey to her mouth with her coffee mug. "Well…when you put it like that, you are probably right. Your opinion probably doesn't matter that much to MOST people, but it does to M.J."  
  


He swallowed his cake slowly before he began again. "She seems different, almost two faced. I feel like I don't know her at all. And even though I try to, she changes so much, I can't get through it."  
  


Swallowing the tan liquid, she placed the mug down and began to circle a finger around the rim. "So how do you feel about her now?"  
  


He didn't look up from the cake. Taking another bite, he said, "I think her and Harry should be together."  
  


She smiled slowly at his answer. "How you feel and think are two different things."  
  


He breathed out a deep sigh. "I feel…..indifferent." He scoffed at himself. Looking up, his eyes were droopy and hollow looking. "Kris…..I loved her before I knew what love was." He shook his head as he reached for his mug. "Now…..I still love her, but it's changed into something else. I guess I've fallen out of love with her or something. She was my first love, so there will always be something in my heart for her, but it won't be a love shared between a boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife thing. It's a different kind of love….more like a mutual, friendship love. I'll always be here for her, but not like that." He shook his head at himself. He'd never used the word love so much in one thought. "So yes…..I'm using the word love, but it's not LOVE…does this make any sense?"  
  


He looked up at Kris when he saw her smiling. It wasn't a smile making fun of him; it was more or less an understanding smile. "Plenty."  
  


"Besides, there are other people I can submerse my mind with." He looked at her head on. "Others can fill the void, it's just a little hard to get past it, like saying goodbye to something."  
  


'Oh great…..he's getting over M.J. only to fall for someone else…God why do you torture me so!' she thought ruefully. "Well…..from the sounds of it, its seems as though you've found someone else to set your sight on."  
  


He took a bite of his cake. Eyeing Kristi closely, he said, "Actually I'm not sure." 'There were always feelings there; they were just left untouched,' was what he wanted to add, but kept his mouth shut.  
  


"What do you mean?"  
  


He thought carefully for a moment before answering. "Before I would compare girls to M.J., now M.J. is in that group. I don't know. I guess she still is in a category of her own, but people are reaching that level or maybe she's coming down from that level. I don't quite know yet."  
  


She thought about that for a second. Her eyes narrowed for a moment before going to their regular size again. "I get it….." Her eyes narrowed again. "I think."  
  


He laughed at her confused face. "That's okay. I think the chocolate is clouding the part of my mind that says comprehensible things." Taking sip from his mug, he peered at her mischievously over the rim of the mug. Swallowing he said slyly, "Let's turn things on you."  
  


She coughed on her drink. With wide eyes, she asked, "On me?" Beginning to laugh, she added, "Oh no, there's no point in doing that. Flash that light somewhere else Sherlock."  
  


He playfully kicked at her feet underneath the table. "C'mon, you don't have someone on a special stool?"  
  


Raising a piece of cake to her lips, she asked, "That's right?"  
  


His eyebrow rose is suspicion. "You don't?"  
  


She stopped the fork midway and widened her eyes innocently. "OH! I thought you were stating that I didn't."  
  


"No, it's a question."  
  


She shrugged her shoulders again. "I mistook it I guess."  
  


He nodded his head knowingly. "Uh huh…..well it's a question."  
  


She took a bite. "This cake is good."  
  


He smiled at her antics. "Okay, I can take a hint…." He promptly stuck his tongue out at her.  
  


She laughed at his expression before sighing dramatically. "Okay, you really wanna know?"  
  


"I would like to."   
  


Looking around, to make sure no one was listening, she started. "It's…"  
  


He leaned in closer with a piece of cake in his mouth. "It's?"  
  


"Harry."  
  


His eyes bulged open as he began to cough. "W-what?!"  
  


She pushed his drink in front of him and prompted him to swallow some. Reaching to pat him on the back, she said with a chuckle, "Drink! Drink! Don't choke!"  
  


"I wasn't," he cleared his throat. "I wasn't trying to….." his face scrunched up as if he were in pain. "B-but Harry?"  
  


Oh, this was amusing. "Yeah, that whole bad boy interior mixed with a wealthy Cali look. Those eyes, that hair….it's the stuff dreams are made of!" She swooned dramatically in her chair.  
  


His eyes dropped some onto his coffee mug in amazement and something else he couldn't identify. "Oh…."  
  


She smiled brightly and scooted her chair closer to him. Nudging him in the side, she said with a laugh. "I'm kidding. You looked like you got scared."  
  


He felt himself relax some, and was more than glad that his recent choking experience had kept his cheeks red. Hopefully she wouldn't notice his crimson face getting redder. "I was choking on cake, wouldn't you be?"  
  


Her dark brows rose in humor. "Sure."  
  


"But um, I wasn't scared. I just wouldn't have thought you two would be a good match," he dropped off.  
  


She folded her arms across her chest. "Oh really?"  
  


He nodded his head. "Yeah, he just….." He looked up at her. "You just….." He shook his head quickly. "You and him…just no."  
  


She began to drum her fingers on the table. "Well, Mr. Parker, who do you think would fit the mold?"  
  


He rubbed his hand over his neck. He knew he had to be careful of how he put this. Wrong wording good mean entirely too many things. Clearing his throat, he said, "Well…..with you…..there can't be a mold."  
  


"Why?"  
  


He shifted in his chair and found his mouth beginning to feel as though there was cotton in it. Racking his brain quickly, something popped in his head. "It's not your style."  
  


She eyed him carefully. His entire disposition was thrown off. She really did freak him out with that. "Hmmm…..well I must say, I agree with you. There are too many carbon copies walking around."  
  


"You keep getting around the question though…don't think I haven't caught that."  
  


Damn…..he caught her. "Okay…..well, I'd rather leave it unsaid. I'm protecting his rights."  
  


His eyes shot up for a moment. "Oh so there is someone! But Kris, his rights?"  
  


"Yes, I don't want them to become violated in any way."  
  


"What were you planning on doing?"  
  


"Well….." she looked up to the ceiling. "I don't know yet..…but so not to take any chances, I'll just keep my mouth shut. Besides, I'm not very good at expressing how I feel. I think I would do y-" you she started to say, but carried out the sound while blending it with the h, making it sound like yim. "Yim..…HIM an injustice." Whew, slip of the tongue…  
  


"You and your arguing. I swear I-" just then, his spider sense went off…..along with Kristi's. She felt a big chill up her spine. "Uh, Kris…..I don't want to rush this, but I gotta go. I promised Aunt May I'd go to the store for her while I was out. It closes in a little bit, so I better get going."  
  


Kristi looked out toward the window. She felt that there was something wrong, but she couldn't understand it completely. In a daze she said, "Yeah…..o-okay. I'll s-see you later?" It was more like a question.  
  


"Yeah….." He looked down at her. Her eyes were distant, and it looked like she was hit with something across the face. "Are you okay?"  
  


She blinked whatever it was away. "Yeah, I think I just blanked out or something. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  


"Aight. Later." He threw a few bills down on the table for the cappuccinos. Grabbing his book bag and jacket, he went to the door. He shouted over his shoulder. "Thanks for the cake!"   
  


"No…..problem." She ran a hand over her face slowly. What the heck happened here? The chill began to die down…but she felt funny the entire way home.  
  


Peter walked home quickly after his "brawl" at a nearby jewelry store. Crimes were becoming scarce after his last major crime bust with a mad doctor of some sort. Doctor DeMarquise was his name. He had a weird love of Zorro and Robin Hood…  
  


He hadn't heard much about him since he had apprehended him and his thugs. There was some sort of crime ring going on that he had spoiled. He hadn't learned much about it, but it was a big enough bust to throw at least 20 people in jail.  
  


All the major crime organizations seemed to be keeping a low profile. Either that or they went elsewhere for their crime sprees. He was on guard since then, but his last big crime fighting appearance with the doctor was a good two months ago. There was only small stuff going on, rogue thieves. There generally wasn't much there. It was a good thing in some ways. The only downside is that a crime drought often leads to one big event happening…one big crime spree. He could only hope that he would be able to keep his guard up. With all of his night hopping, sleeping had been knocked down from necessity to privilege.  
  


A small sigh escaped his lips. He was used to the long hours on his feet, but it wore him down nonetheless. Grabbing for a package of Chips Ahoy cookies, he tore the packet open and popped one in his mouth. He nearly choked on the cookie when he heard the phone ring.  
  


Swallowing and coughing a couple of times, he finally picked up the phone in a hoarse voice. "H-hello?"  
  


"Pete, hey! You don't sound to good."  
  


He cleared his throat. "Oh I'm fine. Just swallowed the wrong way."  
  


"Oh aight. Peter, I need to know if we're going to the Atlantic City for Easter Break like always. We are…..right?"  
  


He popped another chocolate chip cookie into his mouth. "I don't think I'll be able to."  
  


Harry groaned out loud. This was the fourth trip Peter had bailed out on. "Pete, we've been doing it for years. You've backed out on every other trip all this year, you aren't backing out of this one."  
  


Peter sighed softly. "I really can't."  
  


"Why?"  
  


He chuckled to himself. "I have stuff to do." What an understatement that was…  
  


Harry's long fingers drummed impatiently on his desk. "Like what?"  
  


"Well for one thing, I have a job."   
  


"Jameson won't miss you for four or five days. He treats you like crap anyway. Let him sulk because he doesn't have his star photographer."  
  


Peter laughed loudly. Harry was sweet talking him and he knew it. Peter had become immune to all of it, but he figured Harry wanted to try anyway. "Thanks for the compliment, but I really can't."  
  


Harry slightly tugged at part of his hair. In a loud groan he said, "Yes you can!" Sounding pitiful, he added, "Pete…come on, I'm feeling neglected here. We haven't had a trip in almost a year. We used to do stuff all the time. What's up with this?"  
  


He ate another cookie. "Nothing…I just have a lot on my plate."  
  


"Well eat it or feed it to a dog, but you're coming with me, capisce?"  
  


Peter smirked at Harry. He was just like M.J. "Harry-"  
  


"Do it for the sake of tradition! If not that, then as a favor to me…please?"  
  


Peter concentrated hard on this. He couldn't back his way out of this one…he knew he couldn't. He needed a vacation anyway. He could only pray that God would cut him some slack. "Alright…I'll go."  
  


Harry grinned brightly over the phone and he reached for his laptop computer. "Great. You can bring someone along too if you'd like. I'm bringing M.J., thinking we could getcloser or something…..got any ideas on who to invite? Kris would probably want to go."  
  


"Maybe so..."  
  


Hitting enter quickly, he said, "Alright. Well, everything is reserved already, so-"  
  


"You reserved everything?"  
  


"Yeah…..I'm on the computer. It's all done. I had the beach house on stand by with the realtor person." Harry picked his head up from his computer to notice a man in a brown suit peeking his head through the doorway. "Ah…..one of the lawyers for the firm just came in…gotta go!"  
  


"Har-" Click. Just that quick, everything was decided. He shook his head at himself and went to his room with his cookies. All parts of his mind started speaking to him. He has a job that is somewhat hard to get vacation time for. But on the other hand, crime had been slow for a while. Maybe New York wouldn't miss him that much when the time came.  
  


Money? Spring break wasn't for a couple of weeks. He could make some quick cash with his photos and he already had been saving his money for something unknown to him. At least now the money had a purpose.  
  


Guest? Who would he bring with him? His first impulse was to call Kristi, but his mind faltered for a moment.   
  


'Get some balls Parker..…' his mind coaxed him. Shrugging his shoulders he sighed, "What have I got to lose?" Dialing her number, he soon heard her pick up. "Hey…..Kris?"  
  


Kristi was in the middle of putting on some cotton pajama pants when his voice caught her ears. "Oh hey Pete."  
  


He glimpsed at himself in the mirror. If someone had seen him, they would've thought he needed medical attention. "Kris….." He stopped looking at his reflection. He really was nervous about this. It was preposterous…stupid…and incredibly weird. Didn't surprise him though. Since the spider thing, nothing really surprised him that much. Starting again he said quickly, "Kris, me, Harry, and M.J. are going to Atlantic City, for spring break. You wanna come with us?"  
  


Her eyes widened slightly. "With you? To the coast?"  
  


"Yeah…..me and Harry do it every year. He's bringing M.J., so I'm entitled to bringing a guest. Are you game?"  
  


"Well, I have to get a few things cleared up with the store." She was pretty sure she had the time off, but didn't want to make any commitments.  
  


"Okay, well…..let me know when you can. I really hope you can come."  
  


"Me too."  
  


"Well…..I gotta get going. See ya later!"  
  


"Later." She sat on her bed for a moment. She was going to the coast, most likely…with Peter. She wasn't shocked or anything, she just felt happy. She attempted to put the phone down, but it stuck to her hand. She sighed angrily as she tore it away from her palm. Grimacing at her hand, she went to her lab.  
  


Once there, she started looking at her blood. Kristina could not assess what exactly happened to her. From the looks of it, her DNA got mixed with the offspring she was experimenting with.   
  


She sat down on a silver stool and analyzed everything that had happened within the last week and a half. Since that night, things were strange for her. She peered at herself through the silver counter top. Her overall appearance hadn't changed drastically, but there was something different about her. Peter noticed, her mother noticed, professors noticed, everyone noticed. The main thing being seen by the people she was around was that they had realized that Kristi was there. They knew she was there, but never bothered to take not of it or even acknowledge it. She was being seen as someone and not just another being who took up space…that was wonderful to her.  
  


There was always a pit fall to this though. With being seen came attracting attention. She wanted no attention attracted to herself. Because of her reclusive nature, she found herself being startled and more nervous by the attention, hence her backing away from the window.  
  


With the attention and new look came a new attitude. Her confrontation with Kim was a perfect example. True she was still shy around people she didn't know, but she no longer accepted being stepped on so easily. Since she had a new found sense of self worth and self pride, she found it pointless to allow others to sit in front of her and attempt to strip it from her.  
  


Kristina liked the changes brought on by the spider bite, but there were a few that were very foreign to her. Electricity shot from her fingers, her mind could levitate things, she shot filmy webbing from her wrists, and could attach herself to walls. As fascinating and thrilling as these things were, they were sometimes uncontrollable and even dangerous.   
  


Although her mind could levitate things, the heavier the thing was that she levitated or moved, the weaker she became. There was one point where she passed out. Her mind was slowly adjusting to the use of telekinesis, but her mind and body weren't developed enough to fully accept it, which led to her being worn out and passing out.  
  


Kristi could do nothing about these powers, but keep them to herself. It would be entirely too dangerous to let this be known. She told no one, but as fate had it, someone found out anyway…..Mr. Inconnu.  
  


Inconnu's people watched her at every moment possible: Trailing her home, spying on her in her apartment when possible, everywhere. She was constantly under surveillance. One of his men snuck into her apartment while she was gone and placed a camera in her lab. When the night of the accident came, all of his men were put on alert. People were constantly watching her since then to record developments and changes. Inconnu was there to observe her metamorphosis…  
  


A week later, Kristi had begun experimenting with her powers in her room. She had been working with them for thirty minutes when she fell on her bed in bewilderment. She still couldn't get over the fact that this had happened to her. Not many significant things ever went her way, so this was a change. Kristi was looking at her ceiling from her bed and felt something pulling at her. Not physically, but mentally something was pulling at her. She needed to escape; to get out…she needed to take a walk. This was a weird experience for her. Her mind was in a whirl, and she couldn't pay attention to what she was doing. She wasn't sure where she was going or what she would do when she reached her destination, but anything was better than staying in her apartment wondering what to do next.  
  


Kristi decided that maybe she'd go to the park. She knew a couple of shortcuts to get there, but she had never gone at ten o'clock at night. Although she knew her guard should have been up, she figured she was in no real danger. She had no purse with her or any money. But as fate would have it, she was wrong…yet again.  
  


She turned down an alleyway, a short cut, when something almost synonymous to a siren went off in her head. 'What is that?' she thought. She recognized it as that same chill she felt when she was at CC's. She turned around quickly to see if she was being followed. Things didn't feel right, and she soon found out why. When she turned back around, a towering figure stood over her. Her heartbeat began to quicken as she stood there in fright. Her first impulse was to run, but it was denied when the figure grasped her wrists and threw her against the closest wall.  
  


The figure had on a black ski mask and was wearing all black. Holding the black object that felt like a gun, the figure jabbed it into her side. Feeling her wince and try to shake her self of the grip, the figure gripped her wrist tighter. Pushing the gun further into her hip, a masculine voice gripped her ears. "Gimme your money."  
  


His breathing was coming in harshly, with a rancid odor leaking from it. Kristina was in too much shock to do anything. Shaking her head quickly, she whispered, "I-I don't h-have any."  
  


He slammed her against the wall again with the hand holding the gun. She flinched in pain once more. "Oh you don't?" his voice grated against her ears. He looked at her sides quickly. She wasn't wearing a purse. His head shot back up and gave her a look over very slowly. She could almost see his teeth shining through that black mask. "Well, I guess I'll just have to take something else instead…huh?"  
  


When she caught his tone, she began to squirm as much as she could until she felt the gun pressed against her once more. Thinking quickly, she fought back with fear commanding her. Her mind grasped the gun and tossed it out of his hand. He looked down quickly. "What the he-" was all he got out before he felt swift pain rise from his crotch into his stomach. He hunched over in pain, but never released his death grip from her wrist. She attempted to kick him once more, but failed when he threw her to the ground.  
  


The hard impact of her body to the cold ground rocked her senses. She shook her head quickly before realizing that someone had gotten on top of her. He yanked at her back as he attempted to turn her over.   
  


She felt a figure overhead, but paid attention only to the problem at hand. Never did it click in her mind that it could be the person who understood her problem more than anyone else…  
  


Spider Man's sense began to go off as he was swinging from a building. Looking downward, he saw a woman being assaulted by, presumably a man judging by the way she was overpowered. He dove down into the alleyway.  
  


Once the thief succeeded in turning her over, she began to squirm and scream as much as she could. A rough hand slamming hard against her cheek soon stopped her yells. She slowly turned her head back to the masked face. Anger began to guide her this time instead of fear…..  
  


Once Spider Man heard the slap, his mind went into a frenzy. He had no tolerance for men who hit women. Jumping from the wall that he was perched on, he dove onto the man's back.  
  


Using her mind, Kristi threw the man off of her body. Her mind was racing, and her heart was still pounding within her ears. She felt something flow through her hands. As if by instinct, she flung her hands toward her assaulter and electricity flew from the tips of her fingers. He flew against the dirty wall across from her, pinned down by the electric current. His yells were what pierced the alley instead of her's this time and something inside of her liked that feeling…   
  


Spider Man's body had slammed hard against the black brick wall. Attempting to stand back up, he stopped midway when he saw the electricity. He peered through the darkness to look at the woman's face. With all the light being shot at the man so closely by him, his eyes squinted away from the blinding light.  
  


Once she realized what she was doing, Kristi stopped quickly and saw his form curl forward to the ground. If she had continued, she would have killed him. She didn't want to be responsible for someone's death, but to give him just a little a bit of the pain he had given her for that brief moment. She was tired of being the one left defenseless. Her breath quickened as she soon realized that someone else was in the alley with her. When she glanced in their direction, there were two people instead of one!   
  


Spider Man turned around quickly to see another person standing behind him. Thinking it was a set up, he started for the man, but the man was already turning the corner. He turned back around slowly to see her figure retreating further into the darkness. He called out for her to stop…..  
  


All she heard was a "wait" before she began to run. She soon heard feet chasing her, which caused her to run faster. Kristi's body was experiencing a tumult of feelings, feelings she could not control and feelings that frightened her. The feeling of power she had when she attacked the man was indescribable, but frightening nevertheless. She turned out of the dark alley and ran down the street.   
  


Spider Man chased her out of the alley onto the street. Outstretching an arm, he shot his silky webbing for a building and continued the pursuit by air.  
  


Thinking she would be able to lose the person, she ducked into the closest alley.  
  


Seeing her duck into another alley, he swung onto the wall and waited for her to run into it. Once she was near him, his plan was to land hopefully in front of her to stop her. Because of the darkness and speed that he hadn't anticipated, he landed behind her and reached out his hand to grab her.  
  


Kristi heard someone land behind her and reach out for her, but she dodged out of the grasp.   
  


'She just won't quit,' he thought ruefully. Reaching out his arm, he shot more webbing, this time, at her running feet.  
  


Fear gripped her again when she felt that she was being shot at. Though she couldn't see what it was that was being shot at her feet, she didn't want to turn around to figure it out. Out of nowhere, instinct prompted her when and where to jump and dodge the foreign object being shot her way.  
  


He nearly dropped his jaw when he saw her movements. As fast as she was running from him, her body dodged the silky threads like he dodged flying objects. 'She's like me…' he thought. Seeing that shooting webbing wouldn't help, he pursued her on foot again.  
  


She ran and ran…straight into a dead end. Instinct grabbed her again, and she jumped high up the wall. She placed her hand to the wall. Crawling quickly, she reached the top of the building when the person following her, soon caught up with her by the same means.  
  


Spider Man was shocked by what he was seeing. He couldn't believe that someone else had the same abilities as him. A swift thought ran through his head. 'What if they were created to destroy me?' There was someone else in the alley…if she really was in trouble, why didn't they help her? He needed to find answers and catching her seemed the only way that would be possible. Catching her…..was another story altogether.  
  


Her mind was set to get away from whoever it was that was chasing her. She didn't care who it was or what they were. She wanted to get away from them and to the safety of her own home. She ran across the building top and before she knew it, she jumped the building to the one next to it. She never stopped to catch her breath or to look at what she had done. She wasn't thinking now, she just reacted. She kept running…  
  


Spider Man kept up the chase, but was beginning to become ragged. They had already run across five building tops and she was still going at full speed. He had nothing to attach his webbing to, so swinging was pointless. He could shoot the webbing while she was running, but that, already been tried, and proved to be pointless. He continued to run after her as much as he could.  
  


She ran and crawled on every building top she could find to lose the person chasing her. She zigzagged and ducked in so many places, her pursuer gave up. When she was sure she was no longer being followed, she sat down and exhaled deeply. It felt as though she couldn't get enough oxygen. She hadn't realized how much she had ran until she walked out of the alley that she had been sitting in and looked at the street sign. It read: 28thstreet. She was almost back home now. Walking down the street, it finally clicked in her head…she had just run, at least, eight blocks! She jumped buildings and climbed up walls. It was incredible! Exhilarating! And..…just weird. If she was sure she could pick herself up, she would have fainted, but she wasn't about to take the chance. She liked the rush she had gotten from that, but she was not looking forward to having to do it again.  
  


Once she reached her home, she realized that there was no way someone could have kept up with her unless it was Spider Man. And she out ran him! It wasn't really something to be proud of, but it was certainly something. Thinking about it more…he was like her. He climbed the wall, jumped the building, and shot something out of his hands to make him swing.  
  


He was like her, which meant something similar had to have happened to him. She slapped herself in the forehead. He was probably one of the only people in the world who could help her, and she ran away from him. Taking a deep breath, she prayed that no one saw her face clearly. It was late and dark…but she prayed nonetheless. She shook her head at her naiveté. If she truly didn't want someone to find out, then building hopping all over New York with nothing to cover her face was not the way to do it. She looked over the way she was dressed. "If I'm going to present myself correctly to the masked man..…why not do what he does and wear a mask?" she asked herself. She was unsure if she could trust him. She didn't know him. Because of all the bad fame he was getting, he might consider revealing someone like him to the world. She didn't really think he would, but the problem was that he could if he wanted to. How hard could it be to become an unknown phantom, like him, and still be stylish? Walking up her carpeted steps, she said slowly, "I'll be ready next time….."  
  


…………………………  
  


A tall, blonde man strode into Inconnu's lair. Speaking a small voice, he started. "I have the updated report of the girl's accident. Sir, it appears that her powers are growing rapidly. According to the brain waves transmitted through the air, it has been concluded that this came not from the spider, but from her own head."  
  


A dark form leaned back in his chair. "What do you mean?"  
  


"The spider's DNA assisted in the triggering of the part of the brain untapped by most humans. Since most use between 8 and 16 percent of their brain, the brain's full potential isn't found."  
  


Inconnu waved his hand in the air. "I know that. Continue with it."  
  


"All humans have the capability of telekinesis, but almost all don't have the DNA that triggers it. The spider did."  
  


"And the electricity?"  
  


"Well, when the spider bit her, her DNA began to mix with the spider's instantaneously. Her blood was pumping from excitement and shock, which further moved things along. The electricity came from the lamp she hit. Her hand broke the bulb, and her bare tissue was exposed. The electrical currents moved swiftly through her system, such as the DNA did. From what we can figure, the ions from the current linked with the DNA, giving it a source of power and began to multiply when the DNA attached to her own. The electricity became a part of her DNA, and the result would be the use of electricity at her own leisure."  
  


"And the spider abilities?"  
  


"Same things sire. From what we could gather, the spider's DNA was potent and dominate enough to overthrow portions of her DNA, causing her to produce silk in her wrists and microscopic hairs that assist her in attaching to walls. One of our men followed her home last night, and she was attacked."  
  


He jumped from his desk. He growled, "What!"  
  


"She used her powers. From the looks on her face, he said that a driving force in them was her emotions. He followed her and Spider Man as far as he could and-"  
  


A second figure appeared from the shadows. "Wait…..Spider Man was there?"  
  


"Yes…apparently he was patrolling or whatever you'd like to call it. He saw that she needed help so he came down. But he was basically futile. She fought the man off with her powers."  
  


The figure asked, "And he saw this?"  
  


"Yes. She ran away from him, and he chased her. She out ran him, probably because of fear, she climbed walls and jumped buildings…..just like him."  
  


Inconnu chirped in. "So what are you saying?"  
  


"Apparently this Spider Man character had also been bitten by a super spider, but he decided to use this to fight crime."  
  


Inconnu sneered at that comment. "Oh how noble of the arachnid. Did he catch her?"  
  


"No, she evaded him. We had people and equipment on post. We captured most of it through our stealth airborne cameras."  
  


"What worries me is the growing of her powers. Will this telekinesis make her mind stronger?" Inconnu asked.  
  


"It was weakened from the immense pressure applied to it at first, but as we speak, it is adjusting and making itself stronger. That was evident at the incident."  
  


"Damn….."  
  


Encouragingly, he added, "The mind can still be overtaken, but a stronger serum must be produced…"  
  


"Well get it done," the figure demanded.  
  


"Yes sir. But in order for it to be useful, we need to utilize a record of her strength and brain waves."  
  


He sighed angrily. "How long will we need to wait?"  
  


"Well…..I think we should wait to see how strong she becomes within the next 25 to 28 days to be sure."  
  


The figure's arms were thrown up in anger. "Another month! I am tired of waiting! All of this just to see what she can do?!"  
  


"The metamorphosis part appears to be over, but her mind waves fluctuate in power. We must be sure."  
  


The figure stopped pacing and turned his heated voice toward Inconnu. "I am tired of procrastinating Inconnu. I want to see what she can do…..now. I want to see the serum in her NOW."  
  


The scientist interrupted, "We can only make the serum from watching her. If we make the serum too potent, it will kill her. If it's too weak, it will be out of her system in a matter of minutes. It's most critical that we find out how strong her brain is and how strong it may be."   
  


The figure eyed him carefully with his teeth gritted. "Okay then, arrange a few crime sprees to keep Spider boy on his toes, so he can't interfere."  
  


The scientist turned his nervous glance toward his boss. "Sir, it is inevitable that she will go to him for help."  
  


Inconnu drummed his long fingers on his desk. With his free hand, he stroked his chin. "Well…..let him give her help. That will provide the time needed to observe. But when the time comes, I want my best men there to test her. Then, make a serum from those observations."  
  


Nodding his head, he said, "Yes sire." He shuffled out of the room, leaving the mastermind with his mysterious guest.  
  


The figure yelled out of frustration. Stomping his right foot to the ground, he said menacingly, "Inconnu, I'm tired of waiting, you will-"  
  


Inconnu's voice boomed like thunder. "NO! You are in no place to be making orders toward me or my staff! You owe me!" he yelled as he slammed his fist on his desk. He scoffed at the man's attempt of power. Sneering at the figure's quick jump in fright, he added with his voice dripping with venom, "Do not think that because I have allowed you to join in this venture that you are even on the same level AS me! That is the first thing you must always remember monsieur. Is that clear?"  
  


The figure flexed his fists. "Yes Inconnu. But remember, I want the Spider freak with us or I want him dead. I want a guarantee that my people will be under your protection. You gave me your word."  
  


His voice was dull as his eyes stayed forward. "I have always been a man of my word. Consider it done."  
  


"Thank you. I must be going now…..I have some things to tend to."  
  


Inconnu waved his hand. "That is fine. Good bye…..dear friend." His voice lingered on the last words. As soon as he was sure he was alone, a grin crept onto his face. He chuckled softly with a bitter note in his tone. "Yes my dear friend, you will soon get yours…traitor. It's a shame you'll learn the hard way with the same knife you stabbed me in the back with! You and your darling accomplice….." Inconnu reached for his desk drawer and pulled out a picture. A sick grin spread across his face once more. "And soon my dear Kristina…you will be one of mine. The time is coming….."  
  


………………………………………..  
  


Kristina waited a few days before making another appearance to Spider Man. She stood in her lightly lit room, leaning against the silver post of her canopy bed. Her hand slowly slid its way across the silky body suit. She had it specially tailored in secret, sent to a fake alias.   
  


Her hand slid over the material once more before she put it on.   
  


She looked at herself in the mirror. The metallic texture shimmered from the Christmas lights. It's shimmering let the color interchange with indigo and black. Her hand slid over the silver embroidery. Glimpsing at herself once more, she placed the mask over her face.  
  


Climbing out of her window, she took a deep breath before she crawled to the top of the building. She ran and jumped from building to top to building top…..  
  


Spider Man had just stopped a jewelry store break in when he saw something catch his eye in the moonlight. Tying up the thugs in front of him quickly, he shot his webbing to a building and swung off in the figure's direction.  
  


Kristina was laughing as she soared over the building tops. It was a great feeling. She felt like a bird almost. She stopped running for a moment when she felt someone behind her. She turned around quickly only to see no one behind her. When she turned back around, she ran into someone's chest. She stumbled backwards from the impact. He jumped back from her and took a fighting stance. She turned her head to the side in curiosity. "What are you doing?"   
  


Spider Man eyed the person in front of him warily. "Who are you?" There was no way he would let his guard down.  
  


She blinked twice before eyeing him carefully. She busted out with a grin. "Spider Man! This is great. You are just the person I've been looking for." She got up to take a step toward him, but when she did, he backed away. He stood up tall, just to let her know that he indeed did have the upper hand as far as stature went.   
  


"Who are you?" he demanded.  
  


He was trying to intimidate her! Kristi stood up confidently in front of him. Smiling to herself, she figured him to be a chauvinist. "Someone who doesn't want you as an enemy…..trust me."  
  


He folded his arms over his chest and looked at her almost condescendingly. "Let me reiterate: who are you?"  
  


Kristi was baffled. Why was he so…..uptight? Was he scared he was gonna get his job taken from him or something? Beginning to pace she said with some sarcasm, "I'm not sure. I don't have a nifty name like you do."  
  


"Funny."  
  


"Yes I know, and I'm sure I look even funnier in this getup."  
  


"Why are you coming after me?" he asked while circling around her. He looked as though he were sizing her up.  
  


She eyed him carefully. She felt like she was on display for him. "I'm not coming after you…I'm coming to you for help. Because…..I'm like you." Gripping her hands behind her back, she began to pace. "I think the same thing happened to us except mine has a sordid twist. I mean, I could be wrong, but I doubt it. I take it a spider bit you…..right?"  
  


His head perked up suddenly. "How'd you-"  
  


"Because the same thing happened to me and now…I can climb walls and…shoot silk out of my wrists and my reflexes are out of this world. Much like yours."  
  


He shook his head slowly. "That's….."  
  


"Incredible. I know. But there's more. I was bitten by the spider's offspring. That offspring had genetically engineered and chemically enhanced genes from its parents. It just so happened to find itself to my hand…and now its like I've been pulled into the Star Wars world. I can pull a Luke Skywalker and float stuff and shoot electricity like the emperor."  
  


He walked closer to her form. "Were you that person in the alley a few nights ago?"  
  


She exhaled loudly. "Yes..…"  
  


"Why didn't you stop?"  
  


She placed her hands on her head. "I don't know. I was freaked out. What's with all the questions inspector?"   
  


His voice drawled out lazily. "I'm inquisitive, forgive me." He dropped his head for a moment and began to pace again. She certainly didn't lack in sarcasm and remarks were curt and to the point. Not looking up, he asked, "And you want help…from me?"  
  


"Well..…that would seem logical, don't you think?"  
  


He nodded his red head slowly. "I guess so….." Looking back up he asked quickly, "Why did you run?" It didn't sound like a question; it was more of a demand.  
  


"I already told you."  
  


"That wasn't a good enough answer."  
  


She shot her hands up in defense. "I was scared okay! You could've been another one of those goons who wanted a piece of the action. First impulse, if frightened and you see someone with a mask after you were attacked the first time…learn your lesson by running your ass off until they are no longer behind you."  
  


"You didn't stop to think that maybe I was Spider Man TRYING to help you?"  
  


"If you're scared outta your mind, do you honestly think that you'll sit yourself down and analyze if: A. This masked person doesn't want to hurt you, B. Oh he's friends with the guy you just fried, or C. Maybe since you don't know either one, you'll walk up to him and ask him!" She took a deep breath. This was like talking to a brick wall. He was impossible. Of course he should doubt her, but…..he was there! He saw what was going on, and he was going to stand there and patronize her for her all too natural reactions? She felt like she had been thrown into a ring with a big, brawn bull, and she was wearing only red. She lifted her head at him with a voice she found to be much smaller than her own. "I was scared, and I think the thing that came over me was a nice familiar something called fear. I thought that was a logical emotion, but who knows, I may have been wrong." Twisting her hidden lips, she added with a hint of a sardonic tone, "Have you really been web slinging long enough to forget what it's like to be afraid?"  
  


He stopped pacing for a moment to look at her. Here she was judging him when she knew nothing about him! She knew nothing about what he had given up and how he lived in a constant fear that people's lives would be in danger because of his current circumstances. He took a step toward her in anger. With gritted teeth, he forced out of his throat, "You know NOTHING about me, so don't…..judge…..me." She knew nothing about him yet, she judged him anyway. He was not oblivious to the sarcasm in her voice. He didn't place himself on a pedestal, and he knew it, but the sad truth was that sometimes he did find himself secretly daring the people he fought against, to try something.   
  


If she was a criminal, he had to give to her for being a good enough actress to have the scared innocence down pack.   
  


If her claims proved to be true, then of course she did have a point. It would be logical to run, but he couldn't just accept this with open arms. He saw her step back hesitantly from his tone. He brought his voice down to more pleasant decibels before beginning again. "I don't mean to attack you, but I have no guarantees that you aren't a criminal with a sob story. Can you give me a guarantee?"  
  


She shrugged her shoulders. "Only my word."  
  


Only her word…"Not good enough," he said immediately.  
  


She took a dramatic bow. "Well my fellow arachnid, you have to go on a leap of faith sometimes. You should have doubts, I'll be the first to admit that, but if I wanted you dead, I would have turned you into a crispy critter long time ago. All I truly want is for you to help me…..that's all."  
  


He looked her over again. If this truly was an accident…if she really wanted help, then it was a little funny that she would have a costume already picked out. "Well what's with the outfit?"  
  


She looked over the outfit quickly. Smoothing it with a quick hand, she said, "Well I figured if you could be a masked phantom with mystery surrounding you, why can't I? Besides, I think it's a cool outfit. Maybe when I'm done, I can use it for Halloween."  
  


He smirked at her comment. Folding his arms, he demanded, "Tell me who you are."  
  


She shook her finger at him. "That's a no no."  
  


There was something funny about this. He felt…..funny about the whole situation. If she did need help, it was his duty after all to help her. Yet, she wore a mask…..she obviously did not want herself to be known. It didn't settle too well with him to know that he was helping someone whom he didn't even know if they had good tendencies, but who was he to talk? He seemed to be in the same predicament himself, yet she came to him, a complete stranger. He asked a slow, "Why?"  
  


"Because if you can have your guard up, then so can I. I've told no one about this, and I don't plan on it. I'm not about to have the people I care about roped into this. Last thing they need is to know that the person they thought knew is a freak show." Thinking for a moment, she added, "No offense."  
  


He shrugged his shoulders. "None taken."  
  


Was it really that important that he knew who she was? What about the other way around? If he knew who she was, then she should have the same rights as him. She spun around to face his form head on with her hand on her hip. "How about this..…you tell me yours, I'll tell you mine."  
  


He stared at her form for a moment. She was actually serious. He shook his head quickly. "No go."  
  


Okay then…..if he wanted to be Mr. Mysterious, she was game. Kristi shrugged her shoulders. "Fine with me."  
  


"Fine."  
  


She crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine."  
  


He mimicked the action. "Fine."  
  


She could see where this was leading. "Fine!" She sighed heavily. "Okay look…..are you going to help me or not? I have no one else to go to and besides…..if you refuse, I'll have to join up with an under lord and have you destroyed as a personal vendetta for refusing me," she said nonchalantly. Looking up, she could almost see the fumes coming from his head. She held up her hands in defense again. "Down boy! I'm JOKING! Sorry, you looked a little tense there…..even under the mask. Besides, I'm trying not to have this encounter end on a sour note, if you say no. Why not add a little humor into the cocktail…..or is that just not your favorite drink?"  
  


"I'm not much of a drinker."  
  


"Well neither am I, so at least we have something in common…besides this." She sighed again before looking up at him. "So…..will you help me, please?"  
  


"How can I?"  
  


"Tell me about yourself." Pointing at his costume, she added, "This self, not the real you. How do you cope, how do you hide this and..…" she eyed her wrists. "How the hell do you shoot that web stuff? It just seems to pop out sporadically!" She heard him chuckle. 'Well what do you know, he does have a sense of humor,' she thought with a smile. "Seriously, I'm asking you to be a teacher..…please?"  
  


What the heck. She had a soothing presence, one far too rare to be ignored. It might be good for him to have someone suffering, so to speak, as he was. At least there would be someone in the world with the same problem as him. "Okay."  
  


"Okay? Just like that?"  
  


"Yeah, but I have to tell you…..I don't like you in the spandex."  
  


She looked over the outfit. "Why?"  
  


"Chicks always look better in spandex than guys. I don't like my attention being taken away from me." What in God's name was he saying? He was making witty and sharp comments almost as though they had been friends…  
  


She rolled her eyes at him. "Geez, got an ego have we? I'll only attract guys most likely..…if they see me. I hope that doesn't bother you much..…if you were aiming for that audience, I'll be sure to dress down." It's not like she was gonna go everywhere with him or something. "And besides, as for the attention getter," she glimpsed at the back of him, "you have a cuter butt than me…..bigger too."  
  


He blushed under the mask and looked down quickly. He mumbled quickly, "Not quite."  
  


Oh, he noticed! "Okay teacher, if you are quite done checking out my ass…..what's the first lesson?"  
  


Clearing his throat some, he said quickly, "The basics."  
  


She clasped her hands together and rubbed them. "Shoot."  
  


He smiled under the mask. "Exactly." Thus, her first night of learning how to shoot webbing from her wrists began.  
  
  
  
  
  


Note: Okay…..here's the end of chap 7! You made it!! I wanted things to happen in here, so please bare with the length….there is so much to write!! Chapter 8 should be up within the next couple of days, if you can bear with me, I'd highly appreciate it. Don't forget to review please!


	8. Chapter Eight

Note: Okay, here's my explanations for being so long on the updates...I went to Canada for a week and I thought I uploaded my explanation, but I hadn't so, my being senile is to blame for this. But yes...that's what happened. And the periods in chapter7, I wanted ellipses there, but something happened with my Word and it put it as a regular period...I dunno. I guess I have a special computer. Well...here's chapter 8...Bon Appetit!

I added more to this chapter. After I posted it...I wasn't please at where it ended, so I guess you could call it bonus material or something...well anyway here ya go!

Spider Man spent more and more time with his new acquaintance. Common ground was found and encounters become easier to tolerate. Spider Man felt like a teacher; Kristi felt like she had another class on her plate. It wasn't as easy as it sounded. As smart as she was, she still had trouble with the whole webbing out of the wrist. Other than that, everything was going smoothly.

It had been a full month since they met and Spider Man was now asking about her other powers.

It was one of the cooler nights they had experienced. Breathing hard from climbing one of his many walls of the night, Spider Man plopped down onto a building top. "Okay wait, what's with these extra powers?"

Kristi sat on the ground next to him and took in a deep breath. "Well, I'm not entirely sure. All I can guess is that the spider that had been mated with the Super Spider did this. I think the electricity came from when I was electrocuted, but I don't know how." She placed her hands behind her and leaned back on them to support herself. "It's a weird thing. It seems like these are provoked by emotions. The fiercer they are, the stronger they are. Every time I use them at leisure, I have to strain, but if I pull a Peter Pan and think happy thoughts, then it's easier and doesn't hurt."

He turned toward her inwardly. "It hurts?"

She shrugged her dark shoulders. "Only a little….. headache, feeling wiped out, nothing serious." She could feel a smile creeping on her face underneath the mask. "Are you worried about me?"

He blushed under the mask. He seemed to be turning blushing into an art form for some reason…shaking his head quickly, he faltered out a "No…" He stopped himself and turned his head slightly. "Well yes." To cover himself, he added, "But I was thinking that I would have a hard time figuring out how to get you home if something happened since I don't know where you live."

She rolled her eyes at his cover up. "Thanks for the concern, but make sure you keep it that way."

He nodded his red head toward her. "Same to you."

"Of course."

Spider Man began to pick at some of the webbing on his outfit. It was true; he didn't know where her home was. He knew nothing about her. In all cases, that was a good thing. At least no harm could come to someone who didn't know who he was or vice versa. Last thing he needed on his conscience was another Mary Jane incident because someone wanted to get to him. Not lifting his head from his boot, he said, "Look, I want you to promise me something."

His voice being vague was what caught Kristi's attention. She turned her head to him to give him her full attention. "Okay."

He took a deep breath before continuing. "If we should happen to figure out who we are, like if you found out who I was or vice versa, don't reveal yourself to me."

Kristi looked at him oddly. "Why?"

"Because it can put people in danger. If I found out who you were, I wouldn't tell anyway, but I wouldn't want you to be hurt because someone found you knew who I was."

"I think I would be able to take care of myself."

"But even then you could be exploited. I just don't want you being hurt because of me or used as bait."

"But they would probably just use me as bait anyway."

"True and then you'd be pretty powerful by yourself, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't over take you. On the bright side, it would throw whoever it was completely off. And when I did come to help you, we would be an unbeatable duo."

She chuckled lightly at that comment. "A duo huh?"

"It's like Batman and Batgirl."

She jumped up quickly and placed her hands on her hips. "First of all…I'm a WOMAN! In case you haven't noticed…."

He kept his head down as he mumbled, "Oh I have….." He knew that knowing that wasn't a problem…at all.

"And second of all, Batman is so played out. It went out the window when they got rid of Michael Keaton."

He looked up at her this time. She was truly a riot. Laughing, he said, "This is true."

Looking toward the sky, she asked nonchalantly, "So what should my name be?"

"The one you were born with."

She scoffed at him. "Lacking originality big time! Come on!"

He shook his head at her as he stood up. "No, you aren't helping me. Stop thinking it."

She stomped her foot down to the ground. She was getting the hang of this. The long nights…..the secretiveness…..she was practically doing what he was except not saving people. It was becoming a bore to her to come out with him night after night and do nothing but "practice" for something that she was most likely not going to use. "Why not? You said so yourself we'd be an unstoppable duo. Think about it." She began to circle him. "You'd fight crime in half the time! Think about how much sleep you'd be getting."

He smiled to himself. She did bring up a good point. "Nice proposal."

She shrugged her shoulders. "I know it is. Besides, who said I needed your permission anyway?" she asked defiantly. "I was thinking what's the use in having this, if not to use it? I've got a pretty good mind. There's nothing bad or diabolical floating around in there except when it comes to Hayden Christiansen or Shemar Moore, but other than that, why not do something good?"

Her voice was so enthusiastic about it…..she just didn't understand it completely. He shook his head slightly at her tone. "It's not easy."

"I know: loss of sleep, mastering lying-"

His mask locked on hers for a moment. "Be careful about the people in your life."

"Yeah." She walked around some more before she got an idea in her head. "Do you have a significant other like a girlfriend or something?"

His body stiffened a little bit. "No…..I gave up someone very special to me."

"Why?

"I couldn't take the chance of them getting hurt because of me."

"Oh…"

His head fell downward as he added, "Plus, she's not my type I've figured out. But what about you?"

"Me? Blah! Not I. I live a life of solitude and solo…" she stopped in mid sentence to think of something…. "Nicity! Yea, solonicity."

He smiled underneath his mask. Her mind worked constantly, never ceasing to amaze him. "Why? You've got a vibrant personality."

She chuckled out loud. "Not vibrant enough. I like him, but I don't think he's too keen of me."

His head fell to the side. "What do you mean?"

She covered her hands in her face, even though she had on a mask. "Oh God, don't make me say it…"

"Well there are a couple of ways to take that."

"Blah! I'm gonna get fourth grade on you." Sighing loudly, she placed a hand on her head. "I like like him… He doesn't like like me. He'd be great to kiss and hold I'd imagine, and I thought I had sent him a nice script, but he never signed up for the part. He just doesn't seem to want the role."

"Maybe it's better-"

Her eyes widened under the mask. "Better for who? For him or for me? It's BS if you say for me. I'll admit, I'm selfish." She turned around and looked to the stars again. "Better or not, that's what I'd like to have. I've never talked to him at all about this…" He laughed loudly at this. Her soap opera made his life not seem so stupid now. "Stop laughing about it! It's not funny."

He stifled his laughter down to a giggle. "Well then, how do you know-"

She held up a hand. "Believe me. I know. He's got me too high up the friendship ladder to pick me up and put me on another level."

He nodded his head knowingly. He craved having someone more than a friend to him. He was lonely, and he had the perfect person for the task, but with the mask, it seemed futile to even try. His voice took on a vague tone. "Oh."

She eyed him carefully. It was almost as though they were on the same brain wave…She made plenty of wishful "oh's" like that all the time, so she knew what was behind it. She sighed loudly. "But just the same…it's a nice thought. Selfish one…but a nice one."

He was getting confused about this. She kept mentioning selfishness. The entire time he was with her, it never hit him of her saying something selfish. "How is it selfish?"

She thought for a moment. In her head, it sounded and felt selfish. "I want him. Plain and simple. That to me is selfish."

"Wanting isn't selfish."

It was so hard for her to put her feelings into words. She often had trouble expressing herself for fear of the all knowing 'what the hell are you talking about' looks. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to anyway. At least there was a mask to cover up the incomprehensible look. Shivering slightly from the cold air, she said, "This is a special want…..a want that you find in a book or movie. Nothing really mushy, ya know? But I guess I want his affection, his feelings to be for me. He can't give them or doesn't want to, yet I want them anyway. It just feels like a self-want only. I forget that if something did happen, it wouldn't be just something for me…but something for him too. Since I have memory lapses about this, something in me says that's selfish." She sighed hopelessly and rethought what she had just said. Kristi looked toward Spider Man for a hint of understanding.

He patted a hand on her shoulder. "I see where you're coming from." He felt her relax under his touch. He figured it to be a relief to be able to tell someone something and have them understand it. He wasn't just saying he understood to make her feel better; he really did. He had an inkling of what she was feeling and she knew it. It was an unspoken, yet evident understanding and that's what made her feel better.

When he saw her shiver, he spoke up quickly. "Well, young learner, I'm going to cut this short. It's kinda chilly out here and I'm sure it's well past your bedtime, which will happen a lot, so I'll see you later."

She smiled at him, even though she knew he wouldn't be able to see it. "Thanks for looking out for me. Thanks for the talk."

"No problem. Sometimes talking soothes the soul."

"Well talking has soothed, massaged, and tucked my soul into a peaceful slumber. I hope you get what you wish for…"

"I didn't wish for anything."

"A wish can be a thought, dream, or action. It's not only spoken words. Implying is a strong word, and you've used it silently."

He scratched his head before adjusting his stance. "Are you a guru or something?"

She laughed loudly. "No, but I read a lot of Confucius. Later Mr. Spider Man."

"Goodbye." He stopped in mid sentence for a moment. Something came out whose origin was far too unknown for him. "Black Rose."

She stopped in mid-step. "What did you call me?"

His head was down and in a daze. "Black Rose."

She turned around to face him. He wasn't looking at her, but at the black building top. "How did you come up with that?"

His voice took on a vague tone that he had earlier. "Well…rose because it's a feminine, beautiful life form. Black makes it a rogue of its kind, with hidden splendor and mystery. Black also shows how you hide in the shadows protecting people," lifting his head, he added, "that is, if you were a crime fighter."

"If I were a crime fighter…"she echoed.

"You, yourself, are intriguing enough to draw people in…..like a rose does to an onlooker…like a spider does to its prey." Taking a deep breath, he finished with, "So…Black Rose."

A smile crept on her lips. "I like it."

He nodded his head slowly. "I'm glad."

"So I'll see you later partner?"

"Yeah." He turned to walk away when he remembered he was supposed to be leaving for the coast in two days. Turning around quickly, he added, "Oh wait! If you don't see me, don't hesitate in doing the whole saving thing. I taught you about the spider sense, so use it."

"Okay…g'night."

"G'night." She watched his red form swing off into the distance. She was now a crime fighter. What would her mother think if she knew? Kristi chuckled to herself at the mere thought of it. Her mother was understanding, but she would think that her daughter was certifiably crazy if she told her. The only thing that would pop in her head would be that her daughter had a Wonderwoman complex.

Still, despite what might happen, it was something she wanted to do. She was tired of just sitting back and watching things happen. For once, Kristi wanted to be a player in this game.

She went home with only her thoughts to keep her company. She was leaving for the coast in two days. Surely, Spider Man wouldn't miss her too much. He was used to this solo thing far more than she was.

Taking a deep sigh, she entered her bedroom and leaned against her door. Glimpsing at her form in her mirror as she took her mask off, she stopped her hand in mid air with the mask. Looking back at the mask, she said with sarcasm, "This is your life." Her whole life, it seemed that she wasn't seen. Acknowledgment was one of the few things she craved and now she was going to thrive in darkness and a mask. What a ball of irony the world is….

………………………………….

Kristi sat behind M.J. in Harry's 2001 black Eddie Bower Explorer with Peter on the seat with her. Her eyes appeared to be glued to her window as they widened at the passing Jersey shore scenery. She had never been there and the beauty was a shock to her system. Along the road, her eyes fell on the crystal water and white sand. There were luscious trees with dark green leaves attached to them. "Look at that coastline! You see how nice the water is?"

"I can't wait to go swimming," M.J. chirped in from the passenger's seat. "I've been itching to go for the longest time."

Harry made a sharp turn off of the paved road and onto a smaller, more hidden one. "After we get situated, we can hit the beaches."

M.J. nodded her head in agreement. "That's cool."

Harry turned toward her briefly and smiled. Her window was down and sea breeze filled the car. He eyed the strands of red hair that were escaping from her clip before turning his head back to the road. Clearing his mind and throat, he said quickly toward the back seats, "Is that aight with ya'll back there?"

Peter nodded his head. "That's fine with me."

Kristi shrugged her shoulders. "Cool with me."

Five minutes later, the Explorer pulled into the driveway of a wooden beach house. It was painted white with red outlining it. A large porch went around the entire house, with wooden chairs placed strategically around porch. Kristi's jaw dropped when she saw how beautiful the house was. "Harry, how did you get something like this?"

He handed Peter a bag. "I've got connections."

"This is really beautiful," M.J. commented as she pulled out her suitcase.

"On the last night here, me and Peter would always sleep out here. We'd get lots of junk food and just chill out here."

Kristi's eyes lit up as she pulled another bag out of the car. "I want to do that! I can only imagine that the sunsets and rises are gorgeous out here."

Peter pulled another bag out of the car. "They are. I never really appreciated them as much as I should have though."

M.J. walked slowly up the creaking wooden steps while holding a bag in each of her hands. Harry jogged next to her and took a bag from her. "Let me get that for you."

M.J. smiled at him. "Well thank you." She followed Harry up the stairs. When he opened the door, she was taken back. The wooden floor's scent floated to her nose on the sea breeze. There was a cream colored sofa with matching chairs. A coffee table sat in front of it on top of a cream colored rug. The sofa, coffee table, and chairs were facing a huge fireplace.

She followed Harry to the upstairs portion to a white washed room with two full size beds in it. There was a large window that faced the ocean and a fireplace in a corner. "You and Kristi are gonna be staying is here. Is this okay?"

When M.J. looked back to Harry, his brown eyes where staring back at hers attentively craving for approval. Stuttering slightly, she said, "T-this is fine. It's beautiful."

He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I'm glad you like it. I gotta go get settled, but I'll come back in here when I'm done."

"Okay." He smiled at her again before leaving quietly. M.J.'s eyes glanced around the room and then back to the door. Something in her softened but left her just as quickly as it came. From the looks of it, Peter was NOT getting jealous and now that Kristi was here, it was going to be even more of a distraction. She sighed heavily as she took out her sheets from her bag. She began to shake her head at herself. Maybe she was fooling herself. The feelings for Peter were dwindling with resentment and jealousy every time she saw him with Kristi. She had Harry, but he was no Peter Parker……

Kristi made her way up the steps to the room she was sharing with M.J. Peaking her head around the door, she saw M.J. throwing things down her bed in anger. "Hey M, what's up?" she asked as she closed the door behind her softly.

'Speak of the devil' M.J. thought ruefully. Plastering a smile on her face, she turned around quickly and faced Kristi. "Nothing you should worry yourself about, believe me."

Kristi nodded her head slowly. "Okay, I'll leave it alone." M.J. had been in a pissy mood. One could chock it up to PMS, but not even the dreaded "once a month monster" could do this. While unpacking her stuff, Kristi rethought her actions and what she had said that may have provoked M.J. She could come up with nothing logical.

Then her mind thought illogically……

M.J. still feels for Pete, but she's going with Harry. That part was far too evident to her, yet it seemed to be hidden to everyone else. Jealousy is what she's feeling? Kristi's eyebrows shot up in disagreement. She knew she wasn't one usually on the end where the jealousy was being thrown to, so this had to be wrong. But then again, she was thinking with the illogical side of her brain, so anything was possible.

Turning around slowly, she peered at M.J. on the sly. Her lips blew air up quickly to blow her bangs out of her face as she placed her comforter on her bed. The lines in her face…..how many times had Kristi seen those same lines on her own? Dozens of times it seemed. M.J. was jealous, that part was obvious now, but there was something else bothering her.

Kristi shrugged her shoulders at her detective nature and turned back around to her own bed. It wasn't her business to know what M.J. was feeling. If she was to know about it, M.J. would tell her. She didn't need to go around analyzing everything around her. She shook her head at herself and chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

Kristi's chuckle stopped abruptly when she heard M.J.'s voice. Turning around she said quickly, "Nothing. I was just thinking of something I did earlier today. I really am a goombah sometimes."

"A goombah?"

"Yeah, a goombah. You've never called anyone a goombah before?"

M.J. narrowed her eyes at her. "Not at all."

Kristi opened her mouth, but then closed it. "Never mind. I have a funkitated vocabulary."

"Funkitated?"

"Don't pay any attention to me. I'm suffering from a sugar deficiency at the moment." Digging around in her bag, she pulled out a big bag of Starburst. Before unwrapping a pink one, she said quickly, "Would you like one?"

"I don't have a sugar deficiency."

"Doesn't matter. Sugar or not, just something to gnaw on." Handing M.J. her pink one, she said, "Here. Eat it."

M.J. looked at her extended hand before taking the candy. Unwrapping it, she looked to Kristi. Giving her a small smile, she said, "Thanks."

"No prob." Kristi pulled out an orange one, unwrapped it and put it in her mouth. Before her mouth closed, she jumped off of her bed quickly. M.J. looked up at her quickly. "You gotta listen to this. Come on." Kristi pulled up her boom box from the ground and plugged it in. "I'm takin' you back to the oldies," she said in her best D.J. voice. She put in a CD and pressed a few buttons.

M.J. was puzzled. "What are you doing?"

"You look like you could use some blues music."

"Doesn't that make you depressed?"

"It can, but you gotta use the music the right way." Kristi let her hair down and grabbed a brush to mouth the words into. She exaggerated her hips to the trumpet as she pulled out her video camera and place it on the dresser with it's screen facing her. She adjusted it to get most of the room. Ella Fitzgerald's calming voice came in over the speakers as she began to mouth in her brush:

Don't know why

There's no sun up in the sky

Stormy weather

Since my man and I ain't together

Keeps raining all the time

Kristi pulled a laughing M.J. off of the bed. "C'mon!" Pulling a comb out of her suitcase, she thrust it in her face.

Life is bare

Looming misery everywhere

Stormy weather

Just can't get my poor self together

I'm weary all the time….the time

So weary all the time

"Don't act like you can't do this!" Kristi shouted to M.J. over the mellow music. M.J. let out a loud laugh as she joined in with Kristi as they stood in front of the full length mirror making exaggerated movements to the camera.

When he went away

Blues walked in and met me

If he stays away, old rockin' chairs get me

All I do is pray

The Lord above will let me

Walk in the sun once more

Can't go on

Everything I had is gone

Stormy weather

Since my man and I ain't together

Keeps raining all the time

Keeps raining all the time

The two girls busted into fits of giggles. M.J. ran up to the camera and kissed the lense goofily. Kristi fell onto her bed laughing her head off. "I kn-knew you had it i-in y-you!" Kristi struggled to get out. "You are a r-regular d-diva!"

M.J. was still laughing as she turned the camera off. "I guess I didn't know I had it in me either."

The two soon heard snickering coming from the door. Kristi hopped off of her bed and pulled the door open. What she saw was a very entertained Harry and Peter. "Did you have fun ladies?" Peter asked while biting back his laugher.

Kristi smiled brightly at him. "OF course. I'd like to see you sing Ella Fitzgerald."

Harry held up his hands in protest. "That's okay. Us men will leave it to you performers."

Kristi stuck her tongue out at him. "Blah blah. So anyway, what can we help you fellas with?"

"An encore?"

M.J. rolled her eyes. "So funny Osborn."

"Seriously, we were coming to tell you we were ready to drive to the other beach, but since you were in here putting on a concert, you couldn't hear us."

"Well, we aren't ready, so give us five minutes."

Peter fought back his smile. "Okay."

Within fifteen minutes, the four found themselves on a beach not too far from the boardwalk. After finding a parking spot, they looked for somewhere to sit. M.J. was leading the pack and plopped down in a clear spot. Harry looked around their spot warily. He saw the appreciative glances M.J. was getting in her crimson bikini swimsuit. Entirely too cute is M.J., entirely too many guys. "I don't wanna sit here."

M.J. looked around, acting oblivious to the attention she was getting. Pouting, she asked quickly, "Why not?"

Harry knew M.J. would love it if she knew that he didn't want to sit there because there was too much testosterone around her and it not all being his. Thinking up something real quick, he said, "It's too crowded."

She scoffed at him. "It's not that crowded right here."

He opened his mouth quickly to say something, but shut it. It was pointless to argue when he wasn't going to tell her the real reason anyway. Shrugging his shoulders he dropped the beach bag. "Okay M.J. whatever you'd like. I'm gonna go help Pete bring out the other stuff."

Smiling triumphantly, she said, "Okay." M.J. placed her long, white beach towel onto the sand. Turning to Kristina, she said quickly, "Hey, do you have any sun screen?"

"I already put some on and left it in the car."

"Oh…"

"Well…I need to get some other stuff anyway. I can just pick that up too."

She smiled. "Okay. Thanks Kris!" She watched Kristi's form walk off. She really had no reason to be upset with her. She was, after all, a friend. She hadn't done something to her intentionally, so she had no real reason for to be upset with Kristi. An old thought lingered in the back of her head: Someone forcing themselves onto someone she had claimed. What was she saying? Peter wasn't hers yet, she felt compelled to claim him anyway.

A tall man with sandy blond hair and shifty green eyes hidden behind sunglasses walked toward M.J. With a grin plastered on his face, his floral printed trunks made their way to M.J.

His shadow was what brought M.J. out of her thoughts. M.J. glanced his way but turned her head away nonchalantly. Plopping down on the sand, he said, "Well hello cinnamon goodness."

Flipping her red hair over her shoulder, she flashed her teeth at him. "Well hello."

Making himself comfortable, he scooted toward M.J. "Where are you from?"

She smiled flirtatiously at him. "New York."

He lowered his head and flashed his eyes at her. "Really? I would have most certainly thought heaven."

She laughed lightly at his flirting. "Looks like I've got a sweet talker right here."

Licking his bottom lip, he added seductively, "Only to you sweet thang."

Harry dropped his two bags by M.J.'s hand. Glancing at the guy, he said in an annoyed voice, "Hey M.J."

The guy's eyebrows shot up. "M.J.? What does that mean?"

"Mary Jane," she answered with a smile.

"Oh such a nice name for such a nice lookin' girl."

Harry had already sat down next to her thinking that maybe the guy would catch the hint. He must have been about as sharp as the sand they sat on. Slipping his arm around M.J.'s shoulder, he said with a large smirk, "A nice looking TAKEN girl."

He held his tan palms up in defense when he saw the anger rising in Harry's eyes. "Easy buddy! We were just talking and I was just giving her a compliment."

He nodded his head sharply. "Uh-huh…."

Taking off his sunglasses, the guy peered back at Harry. "Right…" Standing up, he knocked some sand off of his shorts. "Well maybe I'll check you later sweet Jane."

M.J. waved toward him. "Bye…" When he was out of sight, she turned sharply to Harry. "That was uncalled for."

"I don't need every beach bum gawking at my girlfriend."

"I see girls checking you out all the time. Do I jump on them because their eyes fall your way? No, I certainly do not."

"But I don't give them the time of day. One woman man is what I am…I'm not into the fling thing."

"Trust Harry…trust. We were just talking."

"Looked like flirting to me."

"Everyone flirts! And besides…as you so nicely stated, I am already spoken for and I know this, so don't worry about me and wondering eyes. I'll handle it myself."

"Right…"

Kristi came walking back to M.J. with the bottle in her hands. "Here ya go. You can just keep it."

"Thanks again Kris."

Harry saw M.J. attempting to put it on herself. She was mad at him. He didn't think he overreacted, but who knows? Taking the bottle from her, he squirted some of the white liquid onto his palms and began to massage it into her shoulders. "At least let me help with this."

Harry's hands massaged deeply into her shoulders. Sighing, she said, "You go right ahead."

Kristi was about to put her stuff down when she saw Harry giving M.J. the "eye". She knew what that meant... Rolling her eyes, she moved away some to give them some privacy, but she didn't really see how that would help very much. After all, they were on a public beach.

She moved a couple of feet away from them, giving them just enough breathing room. Placing her towel down, she proceeded to take off her shorts and shirt. Her bathing suit was a one piece. The upper body part had one three-inch strap, which was over her right shoulder. The strap tightly wrapped its way twice around her upper body. The loose parts sewn together, and once around the rest of her body, leaving her torso and parts of her back bare. It stopped winding behind her above her lower back. Riding somewhat low, the dark emerald material formed a bottom part.

When she looked down at the bathing suit, she shook her head. She wondered how her mother could have bought her something like that… She sat down on her floral printed beach towel. She was just about to lay down on it, when a shadow fell over her. Her head rose slowly and peered at the person who was staring down at her. "Um…hello there."

It was the same guy who was by M.J. "Well, well…we move on from cinnamon to brown sugar." Her eyebrow rose to this. "I always was a fan of the sweeter things in life." She gave him a small smile. "What is your name?"

"Kristina."

"Kristina…" He sat down next to her. "Such a lovely name."

Sitting up, she said quickly, "My parents are to thank for that."

His eyebrows rose in false astonishment. "And witty too!" Looking her over quickly, he said in almost a whisper, "You are a live one."

Clearing her throat, she attempted to change subjects. "And what might your name be?"

He held his hand for her to shake. "Matthew, but my people call me Matt. You, can call me whatever you'd like."

She shook his hand with a chuckle. "I'll stick with what your 'people' call you."

"That's fine by me. Tell me Kristina, where are you from?"

"I'm from New York."

"You from New York? I would have never thought it. I think of you as a southern belle."

"Well I lived in Louisiana practically my entire life."

He turned around once, and then turned back to Kristi. "Well Miss Magnolias, are you a beach person?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Um not really. They are beautiful to sit on, but the sand gets everywhere. And as for the water…..water is water as long as it's not dirty."

"I guess in Louisiana, you wouldn't be used to beach water like this or a beach period."

She didn't know whether to take that as an insult or not. Letting it go, she added on, "Well…actually, sometimes in the summer, my family would go to Cali or the Brazilian coast to visit relatives. There was always blue, blue water and hidden waterfalls. From the looks of it, it looks a little like this, but its much more exotic."

He turned around again as though he were looking for someone. "I guess you can't get anymore exotic than marshes and alligators, huh Miss Magnolias?" he said nudging her in her sides.

She sighed heavily. This guy was so…ignorant to her. Not just by what he said but the way he said things. Full of sarcasm, she said, "Oh sure…we do alligator wrestlin' in the nearest bayous and make big shindigs about it."

Trying to act like he knew what he was talking about he chirped in, "Like crayfish boilings?"

Her jaw dropped. No she did not just hear CRAYfish BOILINGS? "Crawfish boil?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. I heard about those."

She made a silent groan. If her mother heard this…she would probably be the first to feed him to an alligator. Before she could open her mouth to counter, Peter had walked by and interrupted her. "Kris…we are gonna go play some football. Are you game? We need some players."

A way out! "Sure." Not wanting to seem rude, she asked, "Uh Matt, would you like t-"

He was off of the sand before she was. "Sure thing sweet thing." He held out a hand for her and pulled her off of the ground. Murmuring a thank you, she followed Peter.

There were eight people playing all together. Harry had managed to pull in a few more people to make real teams. It was Kristi, her friend Matt, another guy and M.J. The other team consisted of Peter, Harry, and two other girls who volunteered to play.

The game started out friendly. Everyone was horsing around and playing around, just having fun. There was one instance where Kristi had the ball and was about to run with it. Harry was about to charge her. Right when she was about to fake him out, out of nowhere, Matt came and swooped her up. Before she knew it, she was being carried to the end zone. "Matt! What the hell are you doing! Put me down!"

"We have to score the winning touchdown!"

"Matt…put me down!" Just as he was nearing the line, Matt tripped over his feet and fell forward. Kristi was tossed into the air and shut her eyes anticipating the hard contact. Instead, she was caught, her legs dangling over the person's knee. When she looked up, she saw it was Peter. At first she was relieved, but then realized that he was on the other team. "Peter," she warned, "Let me go."

Harry shouted toward him, "Peter, get the ball and go!"

Kristi tightened her grip around the ball. "Don't even try to get the ball."

"I can't just snatch it from her!"

"Then pick her up and run!"

"Don't you DARE!" Was what Kristi yelled as Peter quickly picked her up, securing her against his chest so she couldn't get rid of the ball, and ran. Kristi was screaming the whole way. "THIS CANNOT BE LEGAL!" she shouted against his shoulder. Peter ran across the line, declaring his team the winning team. When he looked down at Kristi, she was breathing hard and not too happy.

His head tilted to the side. "Aww c'mon, don't be a sore loser."

Blowing some hair out of her face angrily, she said full of sarcasm, "I'm not a sore loser. It's just that no one told me when the rules changed into 'Kristina is now the football…pick her up and run!'" Shaking her head quickly she said quickly, "No…no one informed me."

Full of sarcasm he, he added, "I'm sorry you weren't informed."

She shook her head at him. "No you aren't…you find this incredibly funny."

Smiling down at her he said, "Well you do too."

"Shut up!" she said with a laugh. "Now…are you going to place me down or spike me down?"

His eyebrow went up mischievously. "Don't tempt me…"

She shook her head at him. "Evil boy…"

"It's all love."

She rolled her dark eyes at him. "Yeah I bet it is."

He placed her down on the sand and flexed his arms. "Dang girl...what have you been eating?"

She dropped her jaw. "That is so wrong. I can't believe you!"

He gave her a quick hug with a laugh on his lips. "I'm sorry! I know, it's my fault. I was just joking."

"Yeah, I know." Breathing slowly, she dropped her shoulders.

Matt, by now, had already been making his way over toward her. Giving Peter a funny look, he asked quickly, "Hey Kris, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I'm gonna go back to my towel, get something to drink and lay down. I'm pooped."

"Well, I need to be going anyway. I have some people to meet up with. Are you coming out here tomorrow?"

"Most likely."

"Good…" Matt turned around quickly to face a seething blonde. Smirking at her, he turned around and gave Kristi a hug. He hugged her a bit too long. He then released her and walked off toward the upset blonde.

Peter watched as Matt waltzed toward the unhappy blonde. "What's up with you and him?"

"Who? Matt? Nothing. Just someone who started passing lines my way."

The two of them heard Matt arguing with the blonde he left with. "See, I can have fun with people of the opposite sex just like you."

"If you wanted to make me jealous, you succeeded, okay! Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Good..."

Kristi eyed the back of him while shaking her head. "Well, at least I know why he was passing lines my way."

Peter looked at her with a strange expression on his face. "You sound disappointed."

"Oh no, not disappointed, just had a revelation." So...not only was this guy not interested in her, but he used her to make his girlfriend jealous. Just wonderful...

"What was the revelation?"

"That one should never jump to conclusions about oneself or else you're looking for disappointment." She glimpsed at Harry and M.J. who were still horsing around with the ball. "Well, I'm going to my towel and read some or rest my eyes."

He nodded his head slowly toward her. "Okay...do you want something to drink?"

"I have some water in my bag. Thanks anyway."

"No problem." He watched her form walk away in silence. He couldn't quite understand why she was disheartened about someone as ignorant as that Matt guy. He knew that she knew how stupid he was, she had to have known. If she felt bad about the fact that he had wanted her to make his girlfriend jealous, then he would have been more than happy to fill the void.

That mask...

That was thing that stopped his mind from wondering too much along the lines of having a girlfriend or someone. If he didn't think about it or even stumble on it, he was safe and they were safe.

No matter how much he tried not to think about, even he couldn't deny the fact that he was lonely. His blue eyes fell on M.J. and Harry. They appeared to be happy. He saw them running around, smiling at each other.

His eyes lowered to look at the white sand. He wanted that. He wanted happiness. It wouldn't happen to him though...it wasn't meant to happen to him. With a small sigh, he looked back up. He squinted his blue eyes into the sun as he watched M.J. He could have sworn she had been looking at him...

M.J. saw the nostalgic look in Peter's eyes and smiled inwardly to Harry. He was jealous! At least it looked like it. Something in her nagged at her senses, but she ignored it. Maybe things where changing toward her favor.

But was it really it? Was it what she had hoped it was? Was he jealous? She could only hope so...M.J. attempted to shut her mind down from thinking it for fear of jinxing it. She had jumped to conclusions before and left her with nothing. She wouldn't make that same mistake again. She knew all too well what a misread glance could lead to since she had already been down this path. She could only hope that she was right this time.

Something shivered up her spine when she thought about this. The shiver left her dirty and feeling wrong for only a split second. Then her mind wandered to Harry. Harry! Why? That was a mystery to her, but she didn't care to solve it. Pushing it out of her head, she gave Harry a quick peck, slowly glimpsing over his shoulder to see if Peter was watching. When Peter turned away, she pulled her lips away.

Licking her bottom lip, something felt funny, but she chose to ignore it again. Her mind wandered on what the next five days would bring her. Things, from her view, certainly looked promising...

Harry, Kristi, Peter, and M.J. ended up spending the rest of their day on the beach. M.J. was with Harry most of the time; cuddling and playing. She often kept an eye on Peter. He went by Kristi the rest of the day and talked with her. She wasn't sure what they were talking about, but it was obviously something they both enjoyed since they appeared to laugh every other two minutes. All she could do was turn the rest of her attention back to Harry. She devised a simple plot: Get Kristi thinking about someone else. The perfect candidate was Matt.

The four left the beach around six to clean themselves up for dinner. Harry had picked out a little Italian bistro called Luigi's Place. He had been there lots of times before in the past.

Kristi wore simple black pants with a one sleeve, gray, cotton top and strappy black sandals. Her thick hair was pulled back into a loose bun with a few strands hanging loosely around her face.

M.J. wore pink summery dress that fell just above her knees. Her tan sandals brought out the silvery toenail polish on her feet. M.J. stood in front of the bathroom mirror applying some lip gloss. Glimpsing toward Kristi, she asked quickly, "What exactly is going on with you and Matt?"

Kristi had clasped a silver dolphin necklace around her neck. Eyeing M.J. carefully, she asked quickly, "What are you talking about?"

"What's with you and Matt?"

Kristi shrugged her shoulders. "Nothing at all." Leaving the bathroom, she asked, "Why?"

M.J. got closer to the mirror and eyed her lips. "Just curious."

Kristi eyed her carefully. This line of questioning seemed out of the ordinary. She saw what Matt had done, or maybe she was too busy being in a world of her own with Harry... Shaking her head, she added, "Curiosity is a murderer."

M.J. chuckled at that. Kristi sounded as though she were getting on the offensive. "I'm not a cat."

"But who says curiosity can't move onto bigger and better things? Why are you wondering about Matt anyway?"

"Just was. He seemed very interested in you." What better way to get rid of someone then to get them thinking about someone else? "Plus he seemed like a cutie. He had the whole surfer look going on. He kept giving you the eye." Why not lay it on real thick?

"Um no, what you saw was something called manipulation. He talked to me to get his girlfriend jealous."

"Are you sure she's his girlfriend?"

"It was pretty obvious."

M.J. cursed to herself. That bastard! Matt's idiocy was going to ruin this. Shaking her head, M.J. said solemnly, "Are you sure? He seemed really interested."

Kristi scoffed at the thought of him. "He's just that good of an actor."

Turning around toward the direction of the door, M.J. attempted to hide her disappointment with a, "Hmm...it's a shame, I thought that you would look cute together."

Kristi went to her bag to dig out something. "Thanks for attempting to play match maker, but he's not my type. Just from having a two minute convo with him I could see he was slow on the uptake and had the type of ego that even the most shallow would be repulsed by."

M.J. dug around in her bag that she brought in the bathroom. Pulling out some pale pink earrings, she asked, "All that in two minutes?"

"Tones are important. I'm all too familiar with spotting superiority tones being thrown."

"Don't you think you're being kinda harsh?"

Kristi shrugged her shoulders. "What's harsh about it? I read him like a book."

She read him like a book . . . indeed! M.J. rolled her eyes at hat comment. "Well not good enough if you didn't know he had a girlfriend."

"Well there was nothing to lead me to that conclusion."

"Well I still say he's cute. You don't find him at all attractive?"

"I am a California surfer lover . . . I'll admit that, but he just wasn't my stylo or type."

"You told me once before that you didn't have a type."

"Well...the thing is, I don't think I do, but everybody does, its just unknown to me at the moment. Even though it is unknown, I know for sure that he is definitely not it."

"I'm just saying you could give him a chance."

"Why? He's got a girlfriend and I don't like him. That would be a wasteful challenge." Grabbing her black purse off of her bed, she asked quickly, "Why are you so adamant about this anyway?"

"Well . . . I just wanna see you with someone."

Kristi stared at M.J. and then headed for the door. Full or sarcasm, she threw over her shoulder, "Oh really?"

"Yes." Kristi turned around and stared at her hard in the face. "Don't look at me like that. I really would like to see you happy for once with someone." And it was true, M.J. would like to see her happy with someone, just not Peter.

Kristi studied her face some to see if she was lying. From the looks of it, it looked and sounded as though she meant it, but the way she was pushing her, it sounded as though she were in a rush. If Kristi wasn't in a big rush to have a relationship with someone, why should other people be in a rush for her? She opened the door roughly and turned back to M.J. Sighing hard at the door, her body leaned against the frame and looked at M.J. "J...you know very good and well who I like. Why are you doing this?"

"Because nothing is going on between you two, and it sure doesn't look like anything is going to go on, so why don't you move on?"

Kristi eyed M.J.'s blue eyes for a moment. Everything she said was making sense, but something in the back of her head nagged at her mind senselessly. M.J. still felt something for Peter, so it would make sense for her to get Kristi away from Peter, but the thing that kept Kristi perplexed was why was she still with Harry?

M.J. eyed Kristi carefully. From the looks of it, she was thinking hard about what she had said. Hearing someone in the hallway, M.J. moved through the doorway pass Kristi.

Harry's head popped out from behind a door in the hallway. "Well are you ladies ready to go?" Harry was wearing a white polo shirt with slacks and sandals.

M.J. smiled at him. "Sure."

Harry waltzed by the two and held a hand out for both of them. "Okay then, let's roll.

Taking his extended hand, Kristi asked Harry, "Where is Pete?"

Harry began to lead them to the stairs. "He went ahead to the car."

When they reached the front door, Peter was leaning against the car looking at the crashing waves with his hand stuffed in his pockets. Hearing foot steps, he turned around slowly. He was wearing a brown button-up shirt with a white shirt underneath it. His pants were black and so were his sandals. Giving a small smile, he said "Well hello there. I didn't know Harry was deemed pimp of the trip."

"Now, now Peter. Don't get jealous now," Harry said while letting go of Kristi's hand at the door of the car.

"There's not much to be jealous of Peter," M.J. chimed in. Her face had a small smile to it when Peter looked back at her. Blushing a little, he turned his head from her and opened the door quickly for Kristi. M.J. turned around and waited for Harry to open the door. Oh yeah...there was still something there.

Somewhere inside of M.J.'s head was a little voice saying, "What the hell are you thinking!" The blushing was chocked up to shyness that he was renown for. Still...that fiery side of her head, the one that seemed to be lacking true reasoning, still had hope. But for some reason, was beginning to fade without her even knowing it...

Peter hopped in the car after Kristi and they took off. Everyone was quiet on the way there for five solid minutes, lost in their thoughts. Harry was thinking of ways to romance M.J. Peter was wondering about Matt and how Kristi felt about him. M.J. was thinking about what exactly it was that she wanted, was it Peter or was it that she didn't want anyone else with him? Kristi couldn't concentrate on one thought. So many crashed through her head, far too many for her to keep count of or recollection of all.

Shaking her head of her many thoughts, Kristi started singing the first song that came to mind: "Under the Bamboo Tree" from Meet Me in St. Louis. "Down in the Jungles lived a maid . . . Of royal blood through dusky shade…A marked impression once she made, upon a Zulu-"

Harry joined in. "From Matabooloo."

Smiling, Kristi continued. "And every morning he would be-"

"Down underneath a bamboo tree."

Kristi's head began to sway to the beat. "Awaiting there his love to see."

"And then to her he'd sing-"

Harry stopped at a red light in an intersection. "To...her...he'd...sing..."

In unison, Kristi and Harry both began to sing. "If you lika me like I lika you and we lika both-tha same, I'd like to say . . . this very day, I'd lika change your name! Cause I lova you and lova you true and if you a lova me . . . One live as two, two live as one, under the bamboo tree!" The two of them busted out laughing. Harry started to drive again when the light turned green, still laughing from their duet. "Dude, I haven't heard that song in forever and a day!"

"I love that movie."

Peter and M.J. were completely lost. "What movie is that from?" Peter asked Kristi.

"Meet Me in St. Louis. It's got Judy Garland in it. You have heard of it, right?"

Peter nodded his head. "Yeah, but I've never seen it."

"Me neither."

"Oh it's great! That was my favorite song from when I was little. I used to sing it all the time. Drove my parents nuts!"

"My mom used to watch that movie with me," Harry said as he turned down a street.

Kristi turned in her seat to face Peter. "What movie songs do you like?"

"I liked Oliver and Company, you know that song that the dog sings."

M.J. turned around in her seat. "What song?"

Peter shook his head. "I'm not singing it if that's what you're trying to get me to do.'

Kristi scoffed at him. "C'mon, just talk out the lyrics then."

Taking a deep breath, he started, "WhyshouldIworrywhyshouldIcare-"

Kristi punched him softly in the arm. "Slow it down, chief."

"Why should I worry...why should I care-"

"Sing it baby!" Harry yelled from the front seat.

Peter smacked him on the shoulder. "Man, leave me alone."

Kristi's eyes lit up for a moment. "I know what song that is . . . the 'I got Street Savoir Faire' song."

Peter's head nodded. "Yeah, that's it. I love that movie."

M.J. jumped in with, "Oliver is so cute. When I first saw that movie, I fell in love with cats."

"I like the movie, but I didn't fall in love with cats." Shifting in her seat, she continued. "Their eyes are pretty, but they look possessed sometimes. I dunno. My old neighbor had a Calico cat with some pretty hazel eyes, but man, if you stared at them, they made you want some holy water and a prayer used to extract the devil or something."

Peter nodded his head again. "They do have freaky eyes."

"I think probably the coolest cats in the world are the ones from Lady and the Tramp."

M.J. turned to face Kristi. "Siamese cats?"

"Yeah . . . I liked how they sounded in the movie too."

Harry began to move his head to the beat of the song in his head. "We are Siamese if you please-"

Kristi snapped her fingers to it. "Bumbum, bum, bum!"

"We are Siamese if you don't please."

"Bumbum, bum, bum! Fa sho! Great stuff . . . I grew up on Disney if you hadn't figured it out yet."

Harry jumped in this time. "The best song in the world from Disney . . .do you know it?" he asked as he pulled the car into the parking lot.

Kristi asked, "Under the Sea?"

"Oh that's up there!" Finding a parking spot, he stopped the car. "But no. It's gotta be...Hakuna Matatta."

"Love me some Timon and Pumba," Kristi said with a smile.

Getting out of the car, Harry walked around to M.J.'s side. "Hakuna Matatta . . . what a wonderful phrase."

Peter opened his door and helped Kristi get out on his side. "Hakuna Matatta, ain't no passing phase."

When Kristi stepped out of the car, she threw her arms into the air melodramatically. "It means no worries, for the rest of your days."

Peter grabbed one of her arms gently and said with humor, "It's our problem free..."

She tossed an arm into the air again. "Philosophy!"

Their heads moved side by side and with sarcasm, they both said, "Hakuna Matatta."

Harry held M.J.'s arm, but she seemed resistant. Instead, he widened his eyes and looked at her with a singsong voice. "Hakuna Matatta."

Kristi and Peter said at the same time. "Ha-ku, ooh, ooh, ooh-na Matatta."

M.J. shrugged her shoulders in defeat and joined in with Harry. "Hakuna Ma-tatta."

Harry said, "Yeah..."

M.J. just smiled. "Matatta...ah, ah, ah AH..."

Harry started laughing again as he escorted M.J. to the door. "I think we should be on Broadway."

Peter shook his head with a chuckle. "I don't think Broadway is ready for us."

M.J. said with a giggle, "I don't think the general public's ears are ready for us."

"I think you have a point. I'll be the first to admit that I am tone deaf. Karaoke is what I am."

Peter turned to Kristi. "That means tone deaf?"

"Yeah . . . I think it's Japanese."

"Cool." Kristi's eyes looked up at the building. It was small and quaint looking with neon lights that said "Luigi's Place". The restaurant had red lanterns hung up along the borders of the roof. When they entered it, their noses were immediately met with the smell of pasta and their ears were hit with the soft murmuring of the people already seated in there and low rumblings of music being play by a man in a corner with a small guitar.

They walked up to a podium where a chunky woman with a big red dress on. Her voice full of an Italian accent, she spoke. "Welcome to Luigi's Place. I am your hostess, Maria. Now if you'll just follow me, I'll take you to a table." Turning around quickly, nearly leading to Harry bumping into her, she said, "Smoking or non?"

Taking a step back, he said, "Non."

"Table or booth?"

"Um . . . " He looked around the restaurant for a moment. "Booth is fine."

The older woman scuffled to a booth near the corner of the guitarist. The booth was a near a window that showed the beach. The seat had red leather on it, with few worn spots on it. Placing some menus onto the table, she said quickly, "A waitress will be out soon to take your drink orders."

"Thank you." Harry made room for M.J. to sit down. After Harry scooted next to her, Kristi sat down and then Peter. The table had a single red candle lit in the middle. The table was wooden, but had a plastic cloth on it with different designs on it. A minute or so after they were settled, a small girl of about seventeen came by. She had on a white dress with a large red scarf secured around her small waist. Her long, dark, ringlets, similar to Kristina's hair, were secured with a red scarf tied around her hair. With a cheery smile, she introduced herself, "Hello, I am Catalina and I will be your waitress for tonight. Is everyone ready to order their drinks?"

They all nodded their heads. "Um…" M.J. started, "I'll have a Diet Coke."

Glimpsing over his menu, Harry spoke first. "I'll have a Coke."

"I'll have a Dr. Pepper," Kristi replied.

"I'll have a Coke."

Chewing on her Winter fresh gum, Catalina said quickly, "Okay, I'll have your orders out here in a jif." With that, she shuffled off toward the back of the restaurant.

Peter's eyes looked around the large room. There were lots of couples scattered throughout the establishment.. Along the walls were pictures of Italy and the Mediterranean. There were portraits of Italian men, woman, children, boats, and houses. "This is a nice place."

M.J. nodded her head in agreement. "I wonder if the places in Italy really look like this."

"From what I've heard, Italians are prideful people. They take pride in their ways of life," Harry piped in. "I went with dad once to Italy. They looked like this. Not with all the lighting like this, but similar to it."

"I would love to go to Italy. Naples is a city I've always wanted to visit."

Peter turned his head toward her. "I've always wanted to go to Italy too. I want to see if it is the country of Amour."

"I dunno. It probably has it, but I want to see if it's as appealing as people make it out to be."

"You know what movie I like," M.J. jumped in.

Kristi answered immediately. "The Godfather."

M.J. furrowed in her eyebrows in surprise. "How'd you know?"

Kristi shrugged her shoulders. "Figured it went with the moment. I love me some Michael Corleone. He's wonderful."

M.J. gave her a look of disgust. "He's a killer."

"He's a Godfather, what else would he be?"

"True."

"Plus, I don't like him cause he kills, I like him because he as a character is so intelligent. He's just great."

Catalina came back with a tray with four drinks. "Here is your Diet Coke," she said as she placed it front of M.J. "Here's your Coke." She placed the glass down in front of Harry. "Here's your Dr. Pepper and here's your Coke," she said as she placed the last two glasses down. Pulling out a pad and pen, she asked, "Now, are you ready to order?"

Harry started first. "Sure, I'll have the Chicken Parmesan."

"Chicken Alfredo."

Glimpsing over the prices, Peter asked Kristi quickly, "You wanna share a bowl of spaghetti? We can get a large and two plates."

"Um okay. That's fine with me."

"Okay, one large spaghetti. Would you like some bread while you wait?" They all nodded their head. "Okay, the bread should be out shortly."

When the waitress walked off, Peter leaned back against his seat. "So, you are a Michael Corleone fan."

"You know it. Him and his daddy Vito . . . just wonderful and I like Tom and Sonny."

"So you're into the whole mob scene huh?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well . . . a little. It's just one of the many things I love about Italians."

M.J. jumped in. "Yeah, Italy has probably the cutest men in the world."

Harry choked on his drink. "Um . . . excuse me?"

M.J. laughed at his reddened expression. "You heard me! They do! They are perfect. Not only are they cute, but they love their mammas and have great accents."

Harry scoffed at her. "C'mon! When they hit 50, they get beer bellies and I'm sure you'd get tired of pasta all the time."

"I love pasta and he could take SlimFast."

"Should I be getting jealous of all the countrymen? Do I have to beat them up?"

"Well I wouldn't recommend it since, you are in an Italian restaurant at the moment and they could easily be hearing you now and putting poison in your food."

"Well that's a nice little thought. You sure do know how to make a person feel secure Kris."

"I'm just saying! Don't diss the whole country while you're in one of their establishments. Just a thought."

Peter shook his head. "They wouldn't be serious anyway."

Kristi shrugged her shoulders again. "Well you never know when you'll run into an Italian radical..."

"M.J., leave me some of your food. According to Kristi over here, I've upset the Italy Gods. Should a make a peace offering with some olive oil?"

"Just apologize and I'm sure they'll take pity on you."

"Now you really are scaring me."

"They aren't all bad. Tony Cusimano was head of the Dixieland Mafia and-"

Harry choked on his drink again. "What! There is a DIXIEland Mafia?"

M.J. chuckled at this. "Let me guess, they hide behind the selling of cotton and their big business is Moonshine."

"Hey, you better watch it. But anyway Mr. Cusimano always donated to the states. He gave lots of money to charities and schools. He really was a good guy."

"I hear the past tense." Harry said mockingly.

"Well, he died of a heart attack, but his son Marco took over."

"Wait . . . this does sound familiar. I remember something about cops making a huge bust or something with Cusimano," Peter said.

Catalina came back to the table with six hot pieces of garlic bread with cheese melted on them. M.J. passed the plates around and Harry passed the bread basket around. When she left again, Kristi started up once more. "Marco was a bad apple."

Harry shook his finger at her. "Remember, no dissin' the mafia..."

"He is! It later came out that he started stuff with lots of people. There was a crime war of some sort that had been going on for years because of it."

Getting his piece of bread, Peter turned inwardly toward Kristi. "How did you know about this?"

"It came out in police reports and a lot of the people who worked with my dad were Italian. A lot of them would leave and not come back. The ones that would, well, they would tell him that something had happened. Or a couple of times, this one guy, named Antonio would always come to my dad for help. He would say that he had an argument with the wife or something. Like if he needed somewhere to sleep or a little bit of money, dad would help him."

Peter propped his hand under his chin. "He was getting involved?"

"No. He didn't know what was going on. No one ever told him anything and the war was kept under wraps most of the time. He just thought that Antonio was having bad days. He thought he was helping. One day, Antonio broke down and told him a little of what was going on. I was visiting my dad when he started babbling."

"I take it they were after him," M.J. said chewing slowly.

"He was scared out of his wits and saying that if something happened to him for my dad to tell his wife that he was sorry."

Harry shifted in his seat to take a piece of bread before talking. "Death wish maybe?"

"I don't know, but that was when my dad stopped helping him."

This was getting really interesting to Peter. Scooting closer, he asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know. My dad didn't want any part of it. He only then knew about the existence of a crime war, and he didn't want any part of it. Things died down a lot after that. Police were arresting people and the Mafia was thought to have been completely disintegrated."

"Was it?"

"Well I dunno. Does any mob ever actually completely disintegrate?"

M.J. chewed on a piece of her bread. "Well, this was a nice dinner story."

"It's not a story. It's all true."

Peter nodded his head. "I remember a lot of it now. I remember someone in one of my classes did a report on it as a current event in high school." Ending the conversation there, they soon talked about other things: What they were going to do when school started again, what they were doing for the summer, things like that. Fifteen minutes later, Catalina came back out with their hot food. There wasn't much talk during dinner. They were all just enjoying their meal and the lulling music being played by the guitarist and the sounds of the waves crashing on the shore.

Note: Okay...here's the end of the chap. Chapter 9 should be up soon. Don't forget to review please!


	9. Chapter Nine

Note: Hello people, thank you for the reviews...major shout out to ksha. That meant a lot to me . . . ^_^. The last chapter, I forgot to make a disclaimer. There is a such thing as the Dixieland Mafia, or was, but I'm not sure if it still exists. Everything else concerning it came from my cranium. Well anyway, chapter 9!  
  
  
  


The next day, Harry had gotten some tickets for a Boardwalk tour that would last relatively the whole day. Leaving the house at 10:45, the four drove to the hotel the bus was meeting in front of.

The tour bus was a double decker and all red. They sat on the top deck with M.J. sitting with Harry and Kristi sitting with Peter. They saw the Ripley's building, went to Planet Hollywood, the Trump Casino, and Warner Bros. Store. Along the road, the guide would point out the places that were the basis of the Monopoly game and stop at them. Each site had a special plaque explaining the site and when it originated.

It was five o'clock when the tour finished. The four got off of the bus and walked along the boardwalk stopping at different shops for about an hour. M.J. spotted a Japanese restaurant called "Akio Sushi Bar". "I've got a coupon for here from that store down the street as a gift. Thirty percent off of any meal or special here. I am kinda hungry." The only thing they had was lunch and that was at eleven at McDonald's. "C'mon ya'll, let's eat here," she said as she started for the door.

Harry's eyes widened toward the building. "Sushi? Raw fish?"

M.J. nodded her red head. "Yeah."

He shook his head with a chuckle. "Sorry, but I don't feel like being an E Boli. candidate."

Peter jumped in. "Actually I've tried it before. It's not that bad."

Kristi turned toward him wide eyed. "Parker, you had raw fish?"

"Yeah Devun," he threw back with humor. "It's good. Let's try something new . . . expand your horizons."

M.J. stepped by Peter, linking her arm with his. "I'm game," she said with her all-knowing smile. Peter glanced at M.J.'s arm for a moment before turning his gaze back to Kristi and Harry.

Kristi watched M.J. in humor. 'What was she set on trying to prove?' Kristi thought to herself ruefully. It took every strand of strength she had not to roll her eyes at the sight. 

Peter handed his arm out for Kristi. Being urged by his eyebrows, she shrugged her shoulders while taking his arm. "I guess I am too."

M.J. nudged Harry with her free arm. "C'mon Osborn." Then she gave him a puppy face...

How could he resist?

Sighing hard, he linked his arm with M.J.'s free one. "Okay fine..."

"Great." Peter broke his and M.J's link when they were about to go through the door. M.J. gave him a funny look, but soon turned around and walked with Harry.

Peter eyed M.J. carefully. He could honestly say that he had never met someone with such odd actions. His gut was telling him that she was flirting with him. His small shallow side perked up at the thought of that. She wanted him and he knew it, but it appeared to him that she just wanted him to fall all over her, never going to someone else, but just always be there. She didn't necessarily WANT him, but she wanted to have him. His shallow side thrived on this. She was so . . . wanting. 

Even now, as he stood there, with her arm recently removed from his, he still couldn't completely figure her out. The rational part of him thought the whole wanting explanation was it, something else in him thought otherwise. Its reason was still cloaked with uncertainty, but it lurked in the shadows of his head anyway. Then he looked to Kristi...

Humor is very easily read on her face. Her facial features contour easily to show a change in emotion. Though there was humor, there was also a cloud of other things on her face, as normal. Everything else was so jumbled together that it was impossible to figure out what she was thinking.

When they walked into the wooden building, their eyes were met with exotic flowers surrounding the front of it. When they entered the foyer, they heard soft oriental music playing on the air. From the foyer, they walked to the main room. There were no glass windows in that spot, but there were paper ones with flower shapes on them. A tall man with oriental facial features stood before them. He had on a white, buttoned up shirt with black pants. Nodding his head slightly to them, he said, "Welcome to Akio Sushi Bar. How many are in your party?"

Harry, as usual, spoke for them. "Four."

He nodded his head to them again. "Very good. Follow me please." The room had soft lighting, made possible by the red lanterns, each with a different design, hanging up around the restaurant. They walked down three steps onto a wooden floor. The host led them to a green, wooden table with four chairs around it. Siting down, the host handed them their menus and said quickly, "Your waiter will be out shortly."

M.J. looked around with wide eyes. "See? Isn't this nice?"

Harry nodded his head carefully. "Sure, it's just the food that's going to bother me." On the table, each place setting had a square, b lack plate. There was a small bowl next to it. "They sure do expect you to eat little," Harry said while eyeing his plate. "This looks like stuff for an oriental tea party."

M.J. hit him softly on the hand. "Stop being so negative about this."

He held up his hands in defense. "Who's being negative? I was just making an observation." He draped his arm around M.J.'s chair while pointing the other at the black squares. "Small plates."

Kristi looked beside her plate. "Oh cool! You get chopsticks!" She picked them up quickly and undid the wrapping that surrounded them. 

Peter turned to her slightly. Propping his chin up with his hand, he asked, "Have you ever had sushi?"

She shook her head while placing the chopsticks correctly in her hands. "Nope. I'm like Harry, all my meats, fish, and poultry were cooked my whole life."

Peter nodded his head slowly, eyeing her furrowed in eyebrows. "I think you'll like it." 

Biting a bottom lip, she said, "Maybe I will." Trying out a swift movement, she was assured her chopsticks where in working order. She looked up from her fingers and demonstrated her chopsticks. Grinning at Peter, she said confidently, "I got this." Peter shook his head toward her and smiled back. Kristi's eyes lit up for a quick moment, but she brought her eyes back to her chopsticks.

M.J., witnessing this, rolled her eyes quickly and started a conversation to stop it. She cleared her throat loudly. "When I come for sushi, I always get Crunchy rolls and-"

Harry held up his hand. "Crunchy rolls? That just don't sound right if it's raw."

"Well, it's not all raw fish. Crunchy rolls are made out of crab meat." Glimpsing at his disgusted face, she said quickly, "I think you'll like it, seriously Harry." 

A short man of about twenty walked to their table with four bowls. He placed them down in front of each person and pulled out a spoon for each of them. Nodding his head slightly, he said, "Hello and welcome. I am your waiter, Shawn."

Kristi looked at the bowl cautiously. It had a greenish tint to it with cut up green leafy parts and white chunks in it. Looking up slowly, she pointed to the bowl. "What is this?"

M.J. spoke up before the waiter could. "This is Miso soup."

Smiling slightly, she just nodded her head. "Right..."

"May I get your beverage orders?"

M.J. went first. "I'll have water."

Then Harry. "Diet Coke."

Then Peter. "Pepsi."

Lastly, Kristi. "Root beer."

Shawn nodded his head to them again. "Okay, I'll bring your drinks out momentarily." 

Everyone's eyes fell onto the menu. Taking a deep breath, Harry said sarcastically, "Well Sushi queen, what do you recommend?"

M.J.'s eyes ran across the menu. "Crunchy rolls and Philadelphia rolls."

Peter gave her a surprised look. "You like Philadelphia rolls?"

One of M.J.'s problems with Peter was that not a lot of common ground could be found. Going on a limb and denying one of her favorites, she said while taking a sip of her soup, "Well . . . they're okay I guess, but I figured Harry might like them because they have cream cheese in them, and we all know how much he likes cream cheese."

Harry scoffed while looking at his bowl. "Not with raw crustacean." Turning to Peter, he asked, "You?"

"I was never too fond of Philadelphia rolls. I like the Snow crab rolls, Alaskan rolls, and California rolls."

Harry never lifted his head up from his bowl until he saw a bubble come to the surface. "Um . . . is this stuff good?"

"I love it," M.J. said quickly.

Peter shook his head. "Not too fond of that either. I'm not into the whole tofu thing."

Harry pointed into the bowl. "That's what those white chunks are floating around?"

"Yeah."

Harry put his nose to the bowl. "It smells like bacon." Dipping his spoon in it, he took a sip. "Tastes like it too."

Peter looked at him oddly. "It has no meat in it."

"Maybe they use the juice or something."

M.J. scoffed toward Harry. "That's sick Harry."

He smacked his lips together. "It's pretty good." The waiter came back with their drink orders. While he passed them out, Harry glimpsed toward Kristi, who was sitting in her seat being quiet. "Do you like your soup?"

Taking her drink from the waiter, she said with shrugged shoulders, "I'm not a bacon fan, so I put my spoon down when you said it tasted like it."

"Oh . . . well...pass it down then! No use in wasting Mino soup."

"Miso," M.J. corrected.

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever."

"Excuse me," the waiter said while clearing his throat. "Are you ready to order?"

Harry looked at the menu and then back to M.J. and Peter. "Why don't you two order for us?"

Peter shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine with me." 

M.J. looked up at the waiter. "How many rolls are there in every order?"

"Six every roll type. On the Nigiri, its four. They are a little wider than a half of dollar and are very filling. If you are interested, there is a special going on. Any seven type sushi combo for only 63.99. The rolls are smaller, but you get eight and six instead of six and four. It would be much cheaper than getting different orders of each of them."

M.J. spoke first. "That'll work. Um...I would like some Crunchy rolls, Philadelphia rolls, and Yellow tail rolls."

"Very good." The waiter turned his attention to Peter who was eyeing the menu carefully.

He glimpsed over the menu before speaking again. " Okay, from the Nigiri Sushi section, I would like some smoked Salmon. From the other side, I would like the Snow Crab, California and Shrimp rolls."

"Is that all?"

Peter glimpsed over the menu quickly before nodding his head. "I think so."

"Okay then. Your order should be out soon." 

When the waiter left, silence claimed the table. Peter glimpsed between M.J. and Harry curiously. They were saying something amongst themselves. 'No use in breaking that convo up...' he thoughts to himself. His tore his eyes away from the couple and let them fell on Kristi's face. 

Kristi had been quiet the whole time. She was too busy having her mind flash everywhere it could. She was dazing off a lot more. Her eyes would catch something and then just stare off into an oblivion. Sometimes it fell on M.J., then Harry and lots of times it fell on Peter. Her mind started wandering on telling her feelings which was NEVER good thing for her. 

"I got the shrimp rolls for you, since I know how much you like shrimp," Peter said in a whisper.

Shaking her head, she said, "Hmm?"

"The shrimp rolls. I ordered them for you since you like shrimp so much."

Giving a small smile, she said, "Thanks." It got quiet between the two of them again. For once, there was nothing Kristi had in her head to start a conversation with . . . not out loud anyway. Everything sounded better in her head.

Did she want to tell? What had she told M.J. earlier, "Curiosity is a killer"? She made a small sigh. This was more than curiosity; it had to be more than curiosity. She thought it would be interesting to tell him, but something in her liked keeping this. The mere thought of knowing something that someone else doesn't know felt good for some reason. Something reasoned with her that she shouldn't say anything. And that she-

"Yo Kristi?"

Kristi shook her head quickly and looked toward Peter. "Huh?"

He tickled her side playfully."You dozing over there? That bus ride must have tired you out."

Squirming from his touch, she said in a chuckle, "I'm not sleepy, just . . . out there."

He raised an eyebrow toward her. "Did you have some of that salt water taffy? I'm telling you, they put something else in there..."

"It's all a conspiracy right?"

"You know it. All concocted by the Dentist industry. Just like how they are behind Halloween."

Kristi was about to say something else, but their food had arrived. Each sushi type was served on what looked like a miniature wooden tray. Everyone took their pieces and ate, discussing only what everything tasted like and whether they liked it or not.  
  


M.J. eyed Harry with a huge grin on her face as he "inhaled" each roll one by one. Kristi had her camera out and took a picture of him. He was scarfing the food down like there was no tomorrow. M.J. laughed at him. "I knew you would like it."

Dipping the roll in soy sauce, he said with a quick nod. "It's great stuff."

Peter was about to get his second Crunchy roll, when he turned to Kristi."How are your rolls?"

Kristi eyed the shrimp incased in rice-covered seaweed on her plate. "The Crunchy rolls and California rolls are pretty good. I love the shrimp though. It's not that bad." She picked up her roll and took a bite of it.

Peter laughed at her as the seaweed dangled from her lips. "I told you you would like it."

Chewing slowly, she nodded her head in agreement. During the meal, Kristi took pictures of Harry and M.J., then one with Peter in it. Harry grabbed her camera and took a picture of her and Peter. It was funny the way he went about it. He acted like he was a professional photographer, telling them to scoot closer, push strands of hair back, don't slouch, just lots of things.

By the time the meal was over, it was 7:40. When the waiter came back with the check, Kristi asked him to take a picture of all four of them. They were on their way to where Harry had parked the car for the tour when Peter commented on how many rolls Harry brought back with him."Did you bring enough Alaskan rolls?"

"I only brought two with me."

Peter added in, "And then you brought a Crunchy roll."

M.J. joined in. "And then a Shrimp Roll."

Kristi added in a quip. "And two California rolls."

Harry held up his hands in defeat. "Okay! I get the point! It's your fault. You got me hooked on them." Harry glimpsed down at his watch. "It's almost eight now, what do ya'll want to do?"

"We can go clubbin'," M.J. suggested.

Harry reached for the sky to stretch his arms out. "That's cool, I gotta work the food off."

"Okay. Well, what places are good here?"

"I dunno. Let's go back home, get changed, and maybe we'll see a place on the way."

They found the car and went back to the beach house. M.J. changed into a baby blue halter top with matching skirt and white strapped heels. Her crimson hair was combed down to cascade over her shoulders. Kristi changed into a tan, shimmery shirt that wrapped in the front. She wore a black, leather skirt that fell at her knees with slits on both sides and brown boots. Her hair, still straight from flat ironing it earlier that morning, was put up in a brown clip.

Harry changed into a dark red silk shirt open in the front with a gray shirt underneath it while wearing some black pants and shoes. Peter had on an indigo shirt buttoned up half way with a white shirt on underneath. His pants were black and so were his shoes.

It was almost 11 when they left the house. They drove around for thirty minutes until they saw a club that caught their eye, Club 430. It was called 430 because it stayed open until 4:30 in the morning. When they got there, it took 15 minutes to park and another ten minutes to get in. The place was packed with music pulsating off of its walls. As soon as Kristi took a step into the building, she felt out of place. Just a wave of insecurity rushed over her and she didn't quite know why. 

Finding a table, they all sat down. "This place is loud!" Harry shouted over the music.

"Yeah . . . it definitely is an eye opener!" Peter shouted back.

They had been there for about twenty minutes before anyone said anything about dancing. "Are any of you staying here for a while?" M.J. asked. 

"I probably will be," Kris answered.

"Will you watch my purse?"

"Sure."

M.J. grabbed Harry's arm. "Osborn, you wanna roll?"

Leading to the floor he said, "After you Watson."

Peter sat there opposite of Kristi until a brown haired, busty, woman came up next to him. Rubbing a hand over his shoulder, she said close to his ear. "Hey baby blues."

Peter flinched some when he first heard her. Turning his head slightly to the side, he asked, "How did you know my eyes were blue?"

She moved a short hand over his shoulder once more. "They shine even in here."

Peter gave her a small smile. "Um thank you."

"I've been watching you since you got in here. How about you and me go do some moves?"

Peter's words began to stutter out. "Um, well really, I'm not a-"

She pulled him out of his chair and began to drag him toward the direction of the music. "C'mon! Loosen up!" Peter gave Kristi one look of desperation as he was dragged into the masses. Kristi just sat there and watched him leave. Leaning back into the shadows, she rested her head against the cool wall and propped her crossed feet on the chair closest to her. Her head rocked slightly with the small vibrations of the current music.

That whole day, she felt down, like she was in a funk. She feared she was getting jealous of M.J. Every time they turned around, it seemed as though someone was hitting on M.J. Sure she dressed only a small bit differently, revealing more, reveling in her body and beauty, but other than that, what more was there? That was the problem. There didn't need to be anymore, those features were just enough. She could jump into a conversation and dominate it with one sentence. Sure Kristi would have her moments, but those spare moments would leave just as quickly as they came.

Peter gave her the looks of someone who would be there for her . . . a friend. There were a couple of instances were she thought she saw something more, bu it seemed as though there was something in her head that shut that notion down entirely to easily in order for it to mean something. She wanted to find out what he thought, but at the same time she didn't want to. Her pessimistic mind that it was figured it would never be mutual. The friendship was too strong, or so she thought.....

She was so deep in thought that she hadn't noticed when Harry plopped back down onto his seat. Wiping some sweat from his forehead, he asked, "Kristi, did you get up at all?"

Readjusting her feet, she said quickly, "No."

He peered at his watch in the darkness. It was already past 12:30. "I'll stay here and watch the stuff if you wanna go dance or something."

She shook her head in protest. "Oh no! I just don't feel like dancing tonight. I think I filled up on too much sushi," she said while patting her stomach. Glimpsing around Harry, she asked quickly, " Where is M.J.?"

"I left her on the floor. I needed to give my feet a quick break. She's a big girl. I think she can handle herself." Kristi nodded her head slowly and drank her water she had ordered. Harry drummed his fingers on the table. "Are you having a good time here? Do you like it here?"

"Oh yeah...it's wonderful here. The beach is really beautiful."

"I love beaches. When I was little, I always wanted to be a surfer."

Kristi chuckled at him. "Oh really? You look like the California type."

"Yeah well, I pestered my dad into taking me to get a surf board when we went to California for vacation once. I completely wiped out."

"Aw! Did you hurt yourself?"

"No, but it stunned me for life. No more surfing for me." When he saw Peter coming, he stood up quickly. "Well . . . I'm gonna go see if I can find M.J. or something." She gave him a small smile before saying ok. He walked off and intercepted Peter. "Hey Pete, what's up with Kristi?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well I mean . . . she's lost her humor or something. She's just quiet. She was quiet at dinner, but she been really quiet since we got here. You didn't notice?"

"Yeah I did."

"I've already been to the table three times to see if M.J. was there, but Kristi was just sitting there staring off into space." 

"Is that your subtle way of telling me to pry?"

"I'm telling you to pry...just be curious or something." Peter nodded his head toward Harry before patting his shoulder.

"Kris, what's up?" Kristi's eyes flew up toward Peter's voice.

"Nothing, why?"

Peter pulled out a chair and sat down. "You've been quieter today. Is something wrong?"

With a yawn, she said, "I'm fine."

He scoffed at her. "You're also a bad liar."

"It's really nothing, I'm just a little tired."

He hopped out of his chair suddenly and grasped her hands. "Get up and dance with me."

"There is no one here to watch the stuff and besides, I'll take a rain check."

"Kristi . . . you do realize that I just asked you to dance with me? I never dance, so you must know it means something since I'm asking you." She chuckled at that. It was true, he never did dance. He always did have to get dragged into doing something. The busty brunette was a good example. Sucking his teeth, he said, "And besides, rain checks are not allowed. You may never get another chance at this..." He moved his head around some to get her attention.

He let go of her hands and sat in the chair closest to her and leaned his head onto her shoulder. Patting her hand, he asked again, "What's up? You know you can talk to me."

There was too much to say and not enough that should be said. She was thinking about how she felt. The mere fact that she was in an environment that felt funny didn't make things better. Sighing hard, she said, "I'm just not used to this kind of dancing." It was true. She wasn't used to it. The truth be told, she often felt awkward in clubs like that one.

Peter was skeptical about the whole thing. "Oh really?"

"Yeah...a lot of it looks..." she glimpsed around before answering,..."trashy. I just don't do that. That's one reason why I don't get out much." She shrugged her shoulders. "I just don't like the idea of a guy grindin' on me like they do here."

Getting a mental picture, Peter nodded his head slowly. "Now that you mention it . . . I don't either." Peter was talking more to himself now...

Kristi's eyebrow rose as she looked down at him. Was that what it sounded like? "Why don't you?"  


Peter blew some air into her face, tickling her nose. "Cause . . . it does sound kinda bad. I guess you're just supposed to go out there and have fun with people."  


"Who are drunk and constantly hit on you?" She chuckled at that. " I dunno . . . I can let loose, but not like that. I mean, They started a mosh pit over there," she said while pointing her finger in one direction. "It's kinda wild in here for me. I just don't feel right. I'm not use to going up to people, asking them if they want to dance and then getting on the dance floor doing . . . " She looked around for a couple, which wasn't too hard to find. Pointing at a girl with a guy at her front and back grinding against her as she moved against them. "There! Stuff like THAT. I'm just uncomfortable."

He lifted his head from her shoulder and looked her square in the eye. "What would be your comfort zone?"

'Away from those eyes of yours,' she thought to herself. "I don't know. Maybe a place like this without so much of," she nodded toward the people again, "that, or maybe a Latin joint where I can do an actual dance, not just move around aimlessly. I know moving around aimlessly is fun, I do it all the time, but I just don't feel like it for some reason. I just have this weird thing with rhythm. I can't stand seeing people off beat and looking tacky while they're doing whatever it is they're doing off beat." Laughing to herself, she said, "The people here don't dance . . . they hump. It looks like some of them are in heat."

Peter laughed loudly at that. "You are a character." And with that, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek without even thinking twice about it.

Kristi realized almost immediately what had happened. His lips, those same lips that were all too enticing had just grazed her cheek. Was she going to flip out? Not visibly. It felt like it was just the most natural, automatic action there was and THAT'S what got her flipped out on the inside. The whole idea of having his lips on her was one thing, but the actual occurrence was something else.

Three seconds later it hit him that he gave her a kiss on the cheek. It was probably one of the most natural actions he had ever done with her. It was just a peck . . . a nice friend to a friend peck, or at least that's what Peter ATTEMPTED to convince himself of. No matter what it was, it left a nice impression on him. Within that time of point 56 seconds, he realized just how smooth her cheek was . . . it was entirely too smooth to have been left alone. So after realization hit him, he leaned his head against her cheek and just let it stay there.

Peter's subtle movements were filled with the things that friendships were made out of: Normal peck on the cheek, leaning of a head on another . . . just regular old stuff. Then why was she smiling? She was becoming hopeful! Her mind had to work in double time in order to stop that. Her min's way of functioning was based on one simple rule: If you don't expect the good, when it comes, it'll be a better experience and you'll be ready for the worst if it turns out that way. Well, it didn't always work. There was always something ticking in the back of her mind always hoping for the best. Maybe that's why life and all things concerning Peter were so difficult now....  


Later that night, Kristi did eventually get up and go dance with Harry when he couldn't find M.J., and Peter was resting his feet from another encounter with his friend the busty brunette. She was doing fine, until a guy came up from behind and started to grind against her. With a swift leg movement, she kicked him in the groin with such speed that she never fell off beat. She did have a little fun, but still felt funny being around all of those people, half of them with rancid alcohol on their breaths and their sweaty bodies "dancing" on each other.

The next day, they got up to go to Six Flags Worlds of Adventure at 11 When they got there, it was 12:40. Immediately, Kristi and Harry wanted to get on the roller coasters. M.J., on the other hand, didn't want to because it would mess her hair up. "M.J., we're going to Hurricane Harbor. Your hair is gonna get messed up anyway."

"Harry is right. Why are you so worried about your hair anyway?" Kristi chimed in.

"You try coming out wind blwon tangles and then you'll see the dilemma."

  
  


"But you're going swimming...your hair is gonna get tangled no matter what."

"She sighed quickly. "Oh well, lets go." They went all over the park, pledging to get on every ride there. 

When it was 7:50, they already on all the major coasters and a couple of the smaller rides. Glimpsing at his watch, Harry said "Well, do ya'll wanna go to the harbor? Cause we better go now. The park closes at 10."

"That's fine. We got on all the roller coasters, that's cool with me." They made their way back around the park to Hurricane Harbor. There were still some people there, not very many. They went down all the water slides and basically acted like kids again with water fights and Chicken fights. They had a thing going on over who would pay for dinner instead of splitting like usual. The last person in the water before or at exactly 9:00 would have to pay for dinner.

When they were in the wave pool, someone over the loud speaker said there was to be a fire works show in five minutes. Harry rested his hands on his chin on the sides of the pool. "Do ya'll wanna go see it?"

"I think you'll be able to see it from here," Peter said while nodding his head toward the people who were taking seats on their towels facing all one direction. Kristi had just gotten out of the wave pool and went looking for her towel. It was already 8:57 now and Harry thought he might make things interesting. There was an alliance going on between Peter, Harry, and M.J., they all decided to get her in the water right at nine. Harry hopped out of the pool and went toward Peter. Looking at her form, he then nudged Peter in the side. Getting the hint, Peter walked slowly to her form. Earlier that day, she had pushed him in the water, but he had pushed her in first. So he could get the upper hand and say he got her last, why not do it again? Plus it was now 8:58...

Hearing footsteps, Kristi turned around and saw a grinning Peter. "Hey have you seen my to-" she stopped in mid sentence when she saw his grin. Even with her spider sense, for some odd reason she didn't react to him pushing her as she tumbled into the pool on a low wave. Making a violent splash, Peter, Harry and M.J. started laughing. Kristi's facial expression was priceless.

"He finally got you! It's about damn time! I believe you owe us a meal." Harry said with a quick laugh. They were all laughing hard until she didn't come up.

M.J. leaned over the edge and said, "You can come up now." The water was void of any human movement. They couldn't see her body in the water because the lights were shut off after the announcement of the fire works display. 

A full minute had passed by now. Harry walked around the pool quickly when a realization hit him. "Peter, we're at the shallow end." Peter's eyes widened slightly as looked back to the water. Now that he thought of it, the wave was low when she hit the water... There weren't any bubbles that he could hear coming to the surface, the water was calm except for the waves caused by the wave pool system and even then they waves were small.....

Kristi laid on her stomach at the bottom of the pool moving silently. She had been a swimmer since she was five and was excellent at holding her breath. Moving quickly and gently with the current, she swam against the bottom of the pool, touching the sides as a guide to the nearest steps further down by the deeper end.

Peter began to breathe hard. God what had he done? "Kris?" He still heard nothing. Then he got into the water quickly. He felt on the ground for her since seeing was futile because of the darkness. His hands kept feeling around for her. If he was the reason of her drowning, he'd never forgive himself . . . If he was the reason of her getting one drop of water in her lungs, he'd never forgive himself. He came up for air and went back down quickly. He still couldn't find her. Then he began to think that maybe her body drifted down to the deeper end. If she was unconscious plus the movement of the waves, she could be swept to the other end.

Harry and M.J. watched in silence as Peter swam around looking for her. Harry hopped in the water to help him. M.J. was about to go in and help when someone tapped her on her shoulder. Out of pure shock, she jumped in the water herself. 

Harry picked his head up when he felt the strong vibration of someone else getting in the pool. When he looked up, he saw M.J. gasping for breath. "What happened to you?"

"Someone tapped me on my shoulder, I freaked out and jumped in."

"Who tapped you-" Harry looked up to see Kristi standing up with her hands on her hips. Just then, both her and Harry's water proof watches beeped indicating it was 9:00. 

Peter's head came bobbing back up breathing heavily. "I-Ican't f-findher." Kristi peered at his face and her shoulders feel. He looked like he was about to cry. Peter looked to Harry and said, "Why aren't you looking?"

"Because. She's right there." When Peter saw Harry staring at someone, he turned his gaze to them

Peter didn't know if he was angry or not, but he was happy to see her standing up, breathing fine and not having a concussion or something worse. 

He got out of the water and strode toward her. His body was dripping with water and wet strands of his hair were getting on his forehead and in his eyes. For once, Kristi couldn't read his eyes. When he stood straight in front of her, his blues eyes baring down on her face, he slumped down and gave her a hug. Not a regular hug, one out of relief and happiness and feelings that he had kept submerged too long. "I-I thought you hit your h-head and was out or-" he tried to stammer out. Stopping himself, he made some distance between them. Still gripping her, he said, "Please don't do that to me again...please don't..." He whispered the last part.

Harry hoisted himself out of the water with a small laugh. "Well, well, looks like there's another prankster in the group besides myself." He helped M.J. out of the water.

Peter's face was so sad. He didn't even have a smile, just sadness and relief on his features. With a small laugh, she said, "You three owe me dinner." 

Peter dropped his eyes for a moment before making a loud chuckle. It was a shaky chuckle, but a chuckle nonetheless. Shaking his head, he said with a voice full of sighs, "I guess we do. I guess we do..." He patted her softly on her back as he went to get his stuff.

Just then, there was a lot popping noise. When they looked up, they saw the fireworks display. Watching about ten minutes of it, they got there dry clothes and changed into them.

They ended up leaving the park at 9:30. They drove down the road leading to the interstate when they saw a small Mandarin restaurant open. Stopping there, they were met by a small hostess. Deciding to get the buffet, she led them to their table and got their drink orders.

At the food bar, there were lots of different foods: Egg Drop Soup, Wanton Soup, Crab Meat and Sweet Corn Soup, Hot and Sour Soup, Lo Mein, Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Stir-Fried Bamboo Shoots, Tropical Fried Rice, Plain Rice, Steamed Scallops, Teriyaki Chicken, Spicy Chicken, Kung Po Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Almond Chicken, Broccoli Beef, Barbeque Pork, Braised Duck,, Stuffed Crab Claws, Chinese Donuts, Jello, Pudding, and Egg Rolls.

That night was just like any other night that they had eaten out: Small talk and lots about the food. Peter ended up paying for Kristi's meal, to her dismay. When they were done eating, they drove back to the beach house. When they got there, it was already past 12.  


Their fourth day there, Harry reserved a boat for them for two and a half hours. They drove to the Seaside Heights Boardwalk. The four made their way through it buying odds and ends. The plan was to have a picnic on the boat, so they bought their food and whatever else they may have needed.

Along the Seaside Heights Boardwalk, there were mimes and people selling balloon animals. The streets were somewhat crowded, but not crowded enough to the point of not being able to get things done.

They had gotten to the dock for 12:40, loaded up, and shipped off. It was a white sailboat with blue trimmings and a large, massive sail. On the side of the boat were the words, "Sea Maid." They cruised up and down the beach line waving at water skiers and swimmer that were close enough to see them.

When they got off of the boat, it was already 3:15. M.J. had read about a casino show that she had missed once before, and wanted to go see it. Since no one made any objections to going to see it, Harry reserved the tickets himself and pledged to pay for them. Since they were still in their beach clothes, they decided to go back to the beach house to change. The show started at six, leaving them just under three hours to get home, get dressed, and make it back to the casino. 

M.J. wore dark-green dress that sparkled if the right light was shown on it. It was snug at the top, but flowed out at her hips two inches above her knees. Her shoes, made like a sandal, matched her dress perfectly. Kristi had on a dark blue, one sleeved tank top that conformed to her upper body. She wore slim fitting, black dress pants and wore a silver chain draped around her waist with black sandals. 

Harry wore his brown sandals and khakis with a simple black button up shirt that had its top two buttons undone, revealing the collar of his white undershirt. Peter had on a red polo shirt with khakis and brown sandals. They left the house at five and got to the casino at 5:30.

The show lasted for two hours. They drove around the city some until Peter pointed out the Atlantic City Hard Rock Café. After taking ten minutes to get seated, they were finally waited on. The place was crowded and Rock music pumped out of the speakers. Once they ate, it was close to 10:00. Having too much energy left, they went in search for a club to go to.

Peter eyes spotted a club that looked interesting. It was called, "The "Latino Promenade". Remembering Kristi's words from the night before, he said quickly, "Hey . . . that looks like a good spot."

Harry looked out the window. It had a pretty good crowd and from the sounds of it, the few music notes that would escape from the briefly opened doors were pretty good. "Looks good to me."

M.J. shrugged her shoulders. "This is fine I guess."

Harry looked at Kristi through the rearview mirror. "Yo Kris, what's the word?"

She as almost kinda shocked. She glimpsed to Peter's figure in the darkness. He remembered what she had said, either that, or it was a heck of a coincidence. Looking back to Harry quickly, she said, "Why not?"

"Good deal." Harry turned the car into the parking lot and found a parking space. When they got out of the car, it was quite evident that people with Latin heritage made up the majority of people here, but there was a nice mixture of all different kinds of people.

When they walked in, the place wasn't packed, but there was a good crowd. There was just enough room for every person dancing to have some breathing room. The building was one story and made of wood. Since it had only one floor, it made up for it in width and length. There were strobe lights on the ceiling, making the room have an array of reds, greens, blues, yellows, and oranges. Every time a color changed, it went with the beat of current song. Once they got completely into the building, the man at the door took down their names and gave them a locker number. Walking to the correct locker, Harry said, "This is interesting. I've never been in a club where they have lockers for you."

"It's a good idea," Peter answered.

Punching the right codes in, he said, "Yeah, but you're screwed if you lose the locker slip." He pulled the locker door open.

Kristi took a couple dollars and tucked them in her key pocket in her pants before handing Harry her purse. "I'm guessing that's why they asked for your name."

Putting her's and M.J.'s purse in there, he said, "Very nice idea." They closed the door and walked out. When they stepped out of the room with the lockers, They were immediately put on the dance floor. Feeling against the wall, they found a table big enough for them and sat down.

M.J. began to move her shoulders to the music. "I love Latin dances."

Peter asked, "Do you know some?"

"Yeah."

Harry turned to her. "How did you learn?"

"There was a girl who lived on the other side of me in the neighborhood. She taught them to me."

Peter 's eyebrows furrowed inward for a moment. "Amy, right?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah, Amy Vega. I used to go over to her house all the time and she and her mom would teach me. Then she moved when we were 12. Since then, I would look up a couple of the steps in a book and teach myself. I figured I could be an actress AND dancer, so I figured, why not learn some dances?"

Harry chuckled at the thought of a young M.J. learning the salsa or something."Oh that's great . . . I could just picture you doing the tango at age seven."

She pinched him in his arm. "Shut up Harry."

Peter turned to Kristi. "Kris, don't you have some Latino in you?"

She nodded her head. "On my father's side. My grandmother is a full-blooded Brazilian."

"Did she teach you anything?"

"Yeah. It was only a couple dances. Then she taught me how to mix beats and steps together. It wasn't all about learning the steps to a specific dance, it was also about making your own beat or step."

"Was she a dancer or was she just taught?" 

"She used to be a professional dancer, doing little gigs in each village. It was only her, her two brothers, and father. She was a fourth means of income. She would dance in the evenings and go to school in the mornings. All of that stopped once she met my grandfather at one of the shows. The rest was history. When she came to America with him, she had stopped dancing completely."

Harry chimed in this time. "But I take it it never stopped her from teaching you."

"Yeah. It was interesting to see her dance when I was growing up. It amazes me now that a 68-year-old who looks 40 moves like a 25-year-old. My grandfather, on the other hand, wasn't much of a dancer, so she brought some zest to his life. She would tell me that she prayed that I didn't inherit his two left feet."

"Did you?"

"According to her . . . no."

A tall man with night black hair and charcoal eyes was staring at Kristi intently. She looked awfully familiar to him.

Harry drummed his fingers on the table."Did you learn any Spanish from her?"

"I know some Spanish from high school, but in Brazil the official language is Portuguese. Don't EVER come by her speaking in Spanish. She will curse you out. She is a very proud person when it comes to things dealing with Portuguese and Brazil."

M.J. finally spoke up. "Do you know any Portuguese?"

"I know some. I'm not really fluent, like a native speaker, but I know some."

The tall man came by their table. His voice thick with an accent, he said, "Well hello there."

He was looking at Kristina. Wide eyed, she said, "Um, hello."

He squinted his eyes at her for a moment before speaking again. "Would you like to dance?"

"Um . . . sure."

When she got up, he held out a hand for her and escorted her a little ways onto the dance floor. Peter was watching like a hawk. The guy spun her around once before bringing her to face him. 

Holding her hands up, he began a step that looked like the Cha-cha. Going at a medium speed, he watched her for a ceratin move."Você sabe o português?" (You know Portuguese?)

She shrugged her shoulders while moving around in a circle. This guy seemed vaguely familiar to her... "Eu sei um pouco." (I know a little.)

"Hmm..." He stepped forward quickly with his left foot and back two steps with his right all the while turning with her.

"Eu tenho a familia em Brasil. Isso e como eu aprendi." (I have family in Brazil. That's how I learned.)

"Quem?" (Who)

"Minha avo e de Brasil." (My grandmother is from Brazil.)

Grandmother? Looking at her dance steps, he said with a laugh. "Eu soube seu sangue vim do motherland."(I knew your blood came from the motherland.)

She raised an eyebrow before mirroring her feet with his. "Oh realmente?" (Oh really?)

He shook his head. "Nao realmente, mas seu sempre bom saber alguem com heritage Brasil aqui." (No, not really, but it is good to know someone with heritage from Brazil.) Sucking his teeth, he said with a quick spin, "So what is your name?"

Doing another step, she said quickly, "Kristina."

"Ah well . . . I am Anthony. What part of Brazil is your grandmother from?"

"A small town by the border of French Guiana."

He knew for sure now that he knew her."Olapoque?"

She nodded her head."Yeah. Do you have family there?"

"Yeah." To make sure he was right, he did a quick step to see if she would counter as he thought she would....she did. 

Kristi's automatic response to his move was one her grandmother had taught her when she was younger. How did he know the man's lead? He had by now stopped dancing for a moment and clapped his hands in happiness. "Amarita Dequeina!"

"What did you say?"

"Amarita Dequeina. She is your grandmother isn't she?"

"How did you know?"

"She had a dance partner named Anthony Santos. Sound familiar?"

She thought back on all the conversations that she and her grandmother had together. "Yeah."

"That's my father. He was... I think 17 or 18 when she left with an American."

"My grandfather."

"Yes. I knew it was you because they made up a step together. He taught me both leads . . . I take she taught you them also?"

"Yeah. How old are you?"

"26. You?"

"19."

"We've met before . . . do you remember? On the coast, I think it was Christmas and you and your mother and father came down to the old town to see your grandmother and two uncles. I was visiting from Chicago University. I was about . . . 18 then. "

"I was 11." Her face brightened with realization. "You're the guy that got drooped by his sister huh?"

He groaned out loud while rubbing his hand over his face. "Floral printed shorts..."

She covered a hand over her mouth when she remembered. "Yeah! I remember! Wow...."

"Those were my favorites. When she pulled them, they got caught on a rock which ripped the biggest hole in them. But anyway . . . I knew I recognized you from somewhere." He held up her hand and spun her around before beginning to dance with her again. "Boy, did you grow up."

She blushed slightly. "Yeah well, you got . . . taller." They started to dance again, catching up on what had been happening.  


Peter stayed there in his seat watching Kristi move. He was left in a trance. She was shy at the first club, but now that she was in familiar settings, she just let loose. He loved to her like this. She looked over the shoulder of the person she was dancing with to look at him. His mind told him to look down so she wouldn't see him looking at her, but his head failed to do so. She gave him a bright smile. He gave her a small smile and waved.

M.J. walked back to the table when Harry went to dance with someone who said they would teach a certain move. She saw Peter looking at Kristi. Getting an idea, she stepped in front of him. Peter's head shook quickly as if to knock himself out of the trance. Looking up, he saw M.J. with her hands on her hips. "Hey M.J."

"Pete, I haven't seen you move from that seat once tonight."

"I went to the bathroom."

"Dance with me," she ordered.

His eyed looked around for a moment and then he turned his head to see if someone was behind him. Not seeing anyone, he turned back around and pointed to himself. "You talkin' to me?"

She nodded her head at him. "Yeah Robert Deniro, I'm talkin to you."

He shook his head quickly. "I'm not a dancer, most definitely not a Latin one."

She began to tug at his arms. What was it with women forcing him to do stuff? He just couldn't' figure it out."Yes you are. That butt of yours was made for shaking. Just like at the other club . . ." Getting him off of his feet, she said, "C'mon, I'll teach you a couple of steps."

He chuckled while trying to sit back down. "That's okay. I'm a spectator, not a player. I like watching."

'I bet you do,' she thought herself. "Would you just get up?" She pulled him to his feet quickly and pulled him further from the table. 

His mind reasoned with him 'Why resist? It never works anyway,' he thought. 

M.J. took both of his hands in hers and held them up partially in the air. "Okay, follow my feet." She began to do some steps.

Peter tried his hardest to keep up, but something was off. "Whoa...could you slow it down?"

"You'll get thrown off if I slow it down."

"If you can't already see, I am thrown off." She kept at it for a while until Peter just stopped moving. "We've been at this for ten minutes. I'm hopeless." He went back to his seat. M.J. followed him ans about say something when he stopped her. "Just hopeless."

She was about to say something when Harry walked behind her and slide an arm around her waist. "Do you mind if I steal M.J. from you?"

Peter held his hand out. "I don't mind at all."

"Harry, I was trying to teach Peter how to dance."

"There's nothing to it Pete. Just find the rhythm and move to it."

He gave Harry a sarcastic smile. "Thanks for the tip."

M.J. shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well . . . Let's go Harry." He watched the two saunter off into the mixture of dancers. Peter sat in his seat just watching. He liked watching other dance. It was like art in motion or something close to it.

A tall woman with long jet black hair stood in front of him. Smiling, she said "Hello."

He looked up into green eyes. They had a softness to them that made him relax. At least she wasn't like the girl at the other club. Returning the smile, he said, "Hi."

Holding out a hand, she said, "I'm Jasmine." She had an accent like the guy Kristi walked off with.

He shook it. "Peter."

"I saw your friend trying to teach you some steps."

He sighed loudly. "Yeah . . . I'm a lost cause."

"No one is ever a lost cause. C'mon, let me try to teach you."

He held up his hand. "That's okay."

"No come on. One thing I saw your friend doing was that she was teaching you the American way. There was a step missing. She was doing seven steps instead of eight. So she had to speed it up in order to get it to go with the music."

Oh well? Why not give it one more shot? Pushing himself up from the table, he said quickly, "Okay...but I'm telling you, it's a waste of time trying to teach me."

"I don't think so." She pulled him a little further form the table so they would have more room. "Okay move your left foot with my right one. Mirror me." He did what she said. "Good. Now move this foot front and then this one twice back with mine."

He stepped on her foot. "Sorry about that."

"You're okay, try it again." He tried it again, but stepped on her foot once more. "Don't get frustrated, just slow it down. You're trying to go too fast." He kept trying. Once he got, He looked up, but then messed up again. "Don't look at everyone else, just watch my feet." He began to move with her. "There ya go! Now add a little speed." He sped it up a little. "Good! Now add some extra movements." She held her hand up with his in hers and turned around. When she turned back around, she prompted him to do the same. He did it without messing up his footwork. "You are a pro!"

He blushed. "Thanks."

"So I see you've found another lover huh?"

The two turned around and saw Kristi with her friend. Placing her hands on her hips, Jasmine challenged, "Well I was lonely since you took on that nice looking girl over there. I found myself Peter."

"Is this your wife you were bragging to me about?"

She crossed her arms with false anger. "Oh he bragged?"

Kristi nodded her head. "Yes, I told him his wife was lucky, and he said that he was the lucky one."

She punched playfully in the shoulder."Oh you wooer. So you finally figured out who she was."

"Yeah. She 's got kin back in Olapoque."

"Really? That's interesting." Eyeing her husband, she said to Kristi, "So I take you know my friend Peter right?" If she didn't, it was a nice time to hook her up with him then. To her surprise, she said she knew him. 

Anthony turned to Peter. "You wouldn't mind if I switched partners with you, would you?" He looked between the two girls before saying in a lower voice, "Pretty good trade."

Jasmine looked at him funny. "What does that mean?"

Biting his bottom lip he said quickly, "It only means that it's basically a one to one trade." He held his hand out for her to take.

Taking his muscular hand, she said, "Uh huh . . . "She looked back at Peter and winked at him. He blushed again and looked away. While he was looking down, she gave Kristi the "ok" sign. It was her turn to blush.

Turning her head to Peter, Kristi said with crossed arms, "I saw her teaching you how to dance."

He held up his hand. "She forced me to. She dragged me from my seat and forced my feet to move. You looked like you were getting pretty chummy with that guy when he was married."

"He recognized me. He's from the same part of Brazil as my grandmother. His father had been my grandmother's partner."

"Small world."

She nodded her head. "Uh huh. So you learned the Samba."

He shrugged his shoulders in bewilderment. "I dunno what it was . . . she just told me the steps."

"Well . . . you learned the Samba."

"Cool."

There was a shared silence between the two of them. Kristi shifted her stance. "Can I take you up on that offer from the other day? The dance?"

He was about to say yes, but changed his mind. "I don't know. I think I remember telling you it was a one time thing. You missed out."

Did she hear him correctly? He was going to get her to beg. She was not a beggar . . . Instead she shrugged her shoulders. "Okay fine. I'm sure I could find someone somewhere." And with that, she began to walk off.

He began to laugh. Reaching out for her arm, he turned her slowly back toward him. "C'mon. I was just joking." Hearing the music go to a slower pace, he cleared his throat, and he said with a serious face, "I would love to dance with you."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Yeah okay . . . " she trailed off.

"I would! C'mon," he said as he dragged her to the dance floor. Kristi had never slow danced with Peter before. Breathing slowly, she reached her arms up and placed them around his neck. 

When he stood in front of her, his mind began to reel. 'What have you gotten yourself into, Parker?' He placed his hands onto her waist slowly. He wasn't aware of the fact that he was holding his breath until he exhaled.

His hands felt like they were burning a hole through her shirt. She never did make eye contact with him. She didn't even know if she could call what they were doing dancing. Her back was rigid, and there was probably a foot between them. "I'm apologizing ahead of time."

She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him. "For what?"

"Stepping on your toes."

She gave him a shaky smile. "Um . . . I guess it's accepted?"

He loosened up some and didn't stand so rigid. "I was never any good at slow dances."

"Just don't crunch my feet into a pulp and you'll be fine.". Suddenly, Peter bumped forward into her body. When he turned around, he saw Harry.

"My bad Peter," he said with a sly look on his face. He gave him a quick wink when he turned back around, Kristi's forehead was a lot closer to his than before. There was relatively no space separating them now.

Kristi just stayed as she was. His body heat was driving her crazy. It was bad before, but now it was just torture. When she inhaled, her nostrils were met with a lingering smell of cologne and something else that she couldn't figure out. It must have just been him. He just smelled so damn good.

Peter didn't know what he should do. He didn't know if he should lean his head on hers ro just stay there like that. While debating, Kristi's head dipped onto his shoulder and rested it there. He automatically leaned his head by hers and just moved with her. It was all like a jigsaw puzzle...everything fitting together...

No! Everything could not fit together. 'There is nothing here. She's just tired, you're tired, you deserve a chance to lower your head,' is what he kept telling himself. Not once did he ever admit to himself of feeling anything beyond a friendship, so he wouldn't start now. What was the magic word? Denial, Denial, DENIAL! 

Harry went back to the table where M.J. was. "After this song, wanna leave?"

"Okay. I'm getting tired."

"You can lay on my shoulder if you'd like."

"Thank you Harry." She got closer to him and placed her head on his shoulder. His arm encircled her waist as he covered her with his jacket. He watched her close her eyes and sighed to himself. This was it . . . he could finally admit it to himself: He loved M.J. He never ever truly loved anyone romantically. It was a great sensation. He wasn't ready to admit it, but he had to. He decided to show her. Their last night was tomorrow. He could arrange a romantic night for them and whatever happened, happened. He was getting happy just thinking about showing her physically how he felt. It wasn't a turn on happy, but an ecstatic happy, like joy. The feeling was so foreign to him, but he loved experiencing it.

M.J. had shut her eyes and was now thinking about the current situation. Peter seemed to be getting closer to Kristi, btu he made no move on her and vice versa. They would sooner or later and when they did, she . . . she would what? What was happening? She was beginning not to care. When did this nice helping of apathy come along? She sighed against Harry. Harry . . . he brought a smile to her lips. He was so nice, generous and loving toward her. His transformation since his father's death brought out the best in him. It brought out something in him that she thought she'd only see in one person and that was-

'Whoa!' her mind screamed. 'What's going on Mary Jane? Get your mind right!' She blocked it out, just like how she blocked out every other thought remotely like that. Her patience was thinning and her hope was dwindling quickly. What would happen when it all left her fi what frightened her...

It was now their last full day in Atlantic City. Kristi had Harry get up with her to go shopping for food. She was getting junk food for the beach later that night and Harry was getting food for him and M.J. He told her about his plan for one night of simple romance with her, which promptly led to him being attacked with pinches on his cheeks and aw's of every kind. To take attention off of himself, he turned it on her asking about what was going on with her and Peter.

Her response...

Nothing. Of course Harry didn't believe her, and she knew he wouldn't, but she tried to convince him regardless "What about the dance?".he asked. Her explanation: She owed him one. "What about at the pool?" he asked. Her explanation: He was freaking out because he thought he had hurt someone. "What about the shrimp rolls?" Then she asked him what was he talking about. He, of course, said that Peter got the shrimp rolls for her. Peter told him that night when they were having a conversation.

"You were discussing me?"

"Not really. Just having a conversation about the trip . . . since you're on the trip, of course you would come up as a topic."

Kristi stopped the grocery basket and got some boxes of pudding. "Osborn . . . come on." She began to push the cart again down an isle.

Grabbing some spaghetti sauce and noodles, he said. "Well I asked him why he got shrimp rolls, cause I know he's not too wild about shrimp. He said he got them for you because you love shrimp." Moving down the isles again, he said triumphantly, "Well now . . . what do you make of that?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Being considerate." She threw in the basket two bags of French Onion Sun Chips, Tostitos cheese dip, and a carton of Goldfish. They continued down another isle.

"Bah!" He looked around for some olive oil.

Getting the oil for him, she said in defense, "Okay, M.J. didn't like the...um..."

"Philadelphia rolls?"

"Yeah. She didn't like them, but she got them anyway, for YOU because you like cream cheese."

They turned down another isle. Wile Kristi was reaching for a 6-pack of bottled water, Harry propped himself up on the basket. "Okay you know what? You need to stop shooting everything down. Just once, accept a good thing when its coming. Accept it with open arms."

Kristi placed the bottles in the cart. If she knew her mind correctly, those last couple of words were going to bug her all day long. She turned to Harry and said quickly, "I hate it when people make me think."

When he understood what she was talking about, he started to laugh. Placing an arm around her shoulder he squeezed her towards him. "That's what I'm here for." 

Having everything they needed, they purchased everything and went back to the beach house. By that time, it was already 12. Kristi made her pudding and put it in the fridge to chill. Deciding to make the best of their last day, they drove around, making the boardwalk their final destination. When they came back, it was 6:30. Harry was making too much noise in their room, so Peter went on the porch and fell asleep in one of the hammocks. 

Harry volunteered to help Kristi bring her stuff outside. "Why do you have such a big bag?"

She pulled out the pieces of a hammock/cot. Setting it up in 20 seconds flat, she pointed to it. "That's why."

"You had a hammock in your bag?"

"Just call me Mary Poppins." Setting everything else around the low hammock, she said quickly, "Well, I think that's everything." She looked back up to Harry to ask him something, but turned away.

"He'll probably come out here I bet." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't look at me like that! You know you were gonna ask me anyway. Anyway, g'night." He began to walk away.

"Good luck," she called back to him. He turned around and made a praying sign. Kristi turned back around and faced the surf. She was wearing some black Adidas shorts and a white Adidas shirt with her bathing suit on underneath. She settled in her hammock, her pillows propping her up, she pulled out a bag of Sun Chips and watched the ocean.

Peter woke up abruptly in the chair. He groaned as he tried to position himself comfortably. After about twenty minutes of trying, he gave up. Getting up, he stretched loudly and walked into the house. The scent of spaghetti hit his nose as he went upstairs to his room. Before he pulled the door open, his ears caught the sounds of M.J. giggling and kissing sounds. He didn't know whether he should be sickened by it or just ignore it.

Opting for the second choice, he wondered where Kristi was. He sighed to himself and made his way to Kristi and M.J.'s room. When he peeked in, he didn't see her. Furrowing in his eyebrows, he glimpsed out the window and saw a small light coming from the beach. There he saw her stuff and what looked like a hammock or cot. He forgot she was going to sleep out there. He made his way down the steps skipping two steps at a time...

Kristi was sitting up on the sand enjoying her pudding that she had just taken out of the cooler. She loved pudding. She grew up on the stuff. It was probably one of the few foods she could have and not get sick of...ever. She was staring off into the ocean when she heard someone behind her. "Hey there."

Kristi looked up suddenly and turned around. She smiled slowly. "Hey your self."

Plopping onto the sand, he asked, "Why you out here by yourself?" What he meant to ask was, "Why didn't come get me?"

"Well… we were supposed to be camping out here, but Harry and M.J. were all on the sofa and you were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you, so I figured it wouldn't waste my pudding and pasta. All for me! I brought extra eat ware just in case someone came out here…" She took out a spoon for him. "Here, you look like you could use some pudding."

He chuckled. "Thanks." He looked in it quickly before digging his spoon in it. He looked back to Kristi who was looking at the ocean with a spoon in her mouth. She looked like a little kid with her low ponytails on each side of her head and a spoon hanging from her mouth. Smiling slightly, he asked her, "What are you doing?"

She looked at the ocean dreamily. "I'm just…contemplating…while eating pudding." Her toes were going in and out of the sand slowly as the salty water washed against them. She liked how it felt.

He smiled at her expression. It was adorable to him. "Contemplating huh?"

She nodded her head. "Uh huh."

"Would you like for me to go?"

She tore her eyes away from the water to look at him. "Oh no! I would like it if you stayed actually."

He tore his cerulean eyes from hers for a moment. "Okay." Looking downward, he started, "I just wanted to get out of that house. Give Harry and M.J. some time."

She could hear his emphasis on time. Turning her head more towards him, she placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

He just shrugged and continued to play in the sand. "Don't be. I mean, they're together for a reason. They have feelings for each other…"

"Pete…"

"Kris, I'm sorry. It really doesn't bother me that much, but its just a reminder I guess of what I don't and would like to have." Kristi got curious at that point but decided to let it go. To cover himself, he added, "Besides, I didn't come out here for a pity party."

Kristi began to play with the grains of sand in front of her. "Pity parties can be fun. You gotta have the right music and right food." She picked up the tan particles and watched in interest as they ran through her fingers back to the ground.

This caught Peter's interest, and he began to cup his hands under hers to catch the sand. "Oh really? Like what?" He lifted his hands up and began to release the grains.

She placed her hands under his and caught the grains. "Well…songs like 'I will survive' and fattening foods like pizza and ice cream. They really are fun, you just gotta adjust to them."

Dusting his hands clean, he said with resolution, "Well, I never looked at it that way."

Kristi made a pile with the sand that was in her hands. Shrugging her shoulders, she said, "Most don't." Refocusing her eyes from the ground, she looked toward the horizon. "Have you ever stopped to look at a sunset?"

"Sometimes."

"I like to think of it as mother nature's self portrait. Its deep, everlasting, and it beauty has no boundaries. It's an endless array of the many things people take for granted. It illustrates love, power, beauty, and life. Have you ever felt like you've taken advantage of them?"

His eyes stayed on her profile. "Every single day."

"I do too." She looked back down at the sand. "Well anyway…that's what I was thinking about."

"Man, you make my thoughts look…well…trivial."

She grinned brightly. "That's my job. I'm out to make others look bad."

"Well then, since you got the whole guru thing down, then tell me, what are you thinking about now?"

She answered quickly, "Pudding."

His eyebrow rose quickly. "Pudding?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah. Jello Chocolate pudding. It is the absolute greatest!" she said while taking in another spoonful.

"Pudding?"

She chuckled slightly at the amusement in his voice. "You thought I was going to say something profound huh?"

"Well just maybe."

"Well…you gotta spice things up sometimes. Keeps things…FRESH."

He shook his head at her. "You never cease to amaze me."

"I have to keep you on your toes somehow."

"Well, I'm sure you could make pudding amazing in a conversation."

"Oh I could! I'm almost sure I could. Pudding…hmm… it smooth, rich, and creamy. It just slides down your throat. It even has a soft taste."

He laughed loudly. "Soft? Oh I have to hear this."

"It's smoothness and delectability make it almost sinful. If it were a person, it would-"

He laughed out a, "You!"

Her eyes shot up. "What! Me?"

"Yes you."

"How so? Am I smooth, rich, creamy, and delectable?" She shook her head. " I think no."

"You'd be surprised by how many people think otherwise."

"Like who?"

"Were you completely oblivious to the eye action you were getting from the guys at the club and on the tour and on the beach? I mean man, you captivated them."

She was looking at her spoon this time. "I wasn't aware you were paying attention that closely."

He almost lost his cool about that comment..."Uh-well, it's not that hard when there's something nice to look at." Almost...

She looked at him through he corner of her eye. "Hmm…well, I know you were just looking out...for a friend."

"You'll always mean more to me than just a friend." He was talking more to himself than out loud...she just happened to hear him.

This time she turned her head to him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that you are so good to me. You put up with my complaining-"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure I return it ten-fold." 

"My problems-"

"My nickname IS Oprah."

"My everything. I know you have to get tired of hearing me run my mouth all the time."

"Oh no, I find it fascinating."

He pushed on her playfully. "You're killing me!"

She shook her head at him."No! I'm serious. You, Peter Parker, are just a fascinating person."

He got another spoonful of pudding. "A fascinatingly boring person."

"No, you don't pass me as boring. You pass me as being a nice, funny, sweet, cute guy with an ability to make people smile and a sense of duty toward the people you care about. It shines from your eyes that you would do anything for the people in your life. You are just…an incredible person. The more I think about it, the more I can honestly say that you are rare."

"I'm rare?"

"Yes. You are a genuinely, rare guy. Do you know how many girls are probably falling at your feet?"

He made a wry smile. "Nonexistent."

"Boy please! You are a wonderful person. I know I think of you as one."

It slipped out before he could stop it. "Then why haven't you stepped in line with all those other girls?" Making up for it, he added quickly, "If you haven't fallen, then there's my proof of what a failure I am at that task."

What was he saying? Had he been trying to make her fall or what? Her mind pushed those thoughts aside. She had no time for her delusions to take over. This conversation was getting interesting. "It shouldn't matter on whether I fall. Besides, I don't have that kind of luck. Guys like that are so normally out of my reach."

"I'm right here." His mouth was running loose again...

She gave him a small smile. "Yes you are. But c'mon, you aren't so to speak, within my grasp." She got another spoonful of pudding. With humor, she said, " If you truly were, I'd have jumped you by now."

This time, his eyes shot up. "What?!"

"Oh yeah Pete. Look at those arms of yours!" She squeezed one. " Those bulging arms of yours! Gonfle Bras! That gorgeous body of yours!" She hit him in the chest. " Bèl Kò!"

He had a look of bewilderment on his face. "What?"

"Creole babe."

"You gotta teach me that one day."

"I guess so. But back to you! If anything, you're the pudding. I could just eat you up right now."

He laughed at her. "C'mon, now you're being mean."

"No…honesty is my policy." She leaned back on her arms and stared him with a turned head. "Matter of fact…I'm bored. I think I might jump you right now."

He stopped looking at the ocean and back to her. When he saw the grin on her face, he nervously began to scoot away. "Kris…"

She began to lean closer. "Mmm…I love pudding…"

"Kristi…" he warned while shaking his spoon at her. "Why can't you sit there and be a good little girl?" While shaking his spoon, parts of the pudding that was on there flew onto her shirt.

She looked down quickly with a look of astonishment. Getting three fingers worth, she smeared pudding on Peter's face, then she looked at him in a considering manner. 

He couldn't believe she just put pudding all over his face like that, but his jaw dropped when he saw the glint in her eyes. It was a look of challenge. She looked like a huntress.

Lord help him…

She turned her head to the side. "Ya know Peter, pudding looks good on you. I'm not one to usually waste it, but it looks absolutely devastating on you . . . you little pudding cup. So devastating…"

Her lips curled into a mischievous smile that had him backing away slightly. Standing up slowly, he said cautiously, "Kris…"

She jumped to her feet quickly. "Oh…PETER!" She began to run after him. 

He ran away from her as fast as he could. "Kris c'mon!" Dodging and moving all over the place, he said quickly, "Wo-would you quit it!?"

She ran after him yelling in a laugh, "I'm gonna get you! Damn that thing called estrogen! First, you waste my pudding on me and then you have the nerve to run away from me thinking it would do something! Oh no buddy…you must pay my…my…my little, scrumptious JELLO food item! Why couldn't you be like the rest of the pudding and stay in the cup!"

Once she caught him, she tackled him to the ground and began to tickle him relentlessly. "Kris...hahahaha!…q-quit it m-my, hahahaha!…sides h-hurt…y-you dork…let me go!"

She laughed at his pitiful features until he caught her arms. "Oh no!" She tried to pull her arms from his grasp. "The food chain roles aren't supposed to be reversed!"

He flipped her quickly and promptly began to straddle her. He restrained both of her arms over her head with one arm and began to tickle her with the free one. "HAHA MY LITTLE PRETTY!" he yelled as he tickled her relentlessly. He leaned his head down and wiped the pudding remains all over her shirt and neck. This made her squirm even more.

"EW! EW! EWWW! D-do you…hahahaha!…realize that was a, hahahaha!…w-waste of perfectly g-good, s-stop it w-will ya! Good pudding!" she fought to get out between the bouts of laughter that plagued her. It felt good to laugh. A few moments later, she squinted her eyes in pain. ]

Peter looked down at her quickly. "Are you okay?" Geez…he probably got sand in her eyes. He let her arms go quickly so she could rub her eyes. She reached for her eyes but then attacked his sides. He jumped up in shock. "AHHH you little cheater!" Her laughter rang out as she began to tickle him again, but he overpowered her once more.

Laughing to the point of tears, she sputtered, "O-okay s-s-stop! I can't c-catch my breath! You goober!"

"Okay…I'll let you up… this time." She sat up slowly, trying to catch her breath. She took off her white shirt, turned brown from the pudding, and began to wipe the remnants of it off of her neck with a clean part of her shirt. Grabbing a water bottle, she splashed in on her neck and then wiped her face with a clean corner of her shirt. She gave the bottle to Peter and turned around to put her shirt toward her stuff. She tossed the shirt toward her bag, and turned back around. Peter was still wiping the rest of the water off of his face with his blue t-shirt. She made a long sigh, causing him to look up at her. A grin was still implanted on her lips. When she made eye contact with his own, it felt like fire. If she wasn't in her right mind, she could have sworn he had touched her…him and those damn eyes of his were going to be her undoing.

Peter kept his eyes on hers the entire time. He just couldn't get enough of them. It disappointed him when she looked away from him quickly. She mumbled to herself and then hit her hand on her face. "Kris…Kris?"

She looked up innocently. "Huh?"

"What's up?"

She dropped her head. "I'm doing one of the few things that gets me in trouble."

"What is that?"

She grinned at herself. "Thinking."

"How does that get you in trouble?"

She jumped up. She, for the life of her, couldn't stay still. She began to pace back and forth on the sand. "My mind wanders…it wanders on people and things and bunches of stuff I don't like getting into."

He watched her pace with amusement. It was quite a show. Her eyebrows were furrowed in and her forehead scrunched up. She looked, nervous, upset, and anxious and he couldn't figure out what caused it. "Why?"

She threw her hands up in surprise. "Because…it does!" She stopped pacing for a moment and slumped her shoulders. Scratching her head, she said with shut eyes, "I dunno."

He leaned his face under her's while still sitting on the sand. "What is it you're thinking about?"

She stared at him for a moment and then shook her head at herself. She said too much…was saying too much, and she couldn't stop her mouth. Something wanted all of this said and done with. "Accept it with wide open arms," is what Harry had said. Damn h im. He had her thinking since they were at the grocery store. Well…she opened up a can of worms that she thought for a moment even God wouldn't be able to close. 'Might as well finish it…' she thought. Beginning to pace, rambled on. "It's amazing. All I want from this person would be some sort of mutuality, some sort of affection something…a meaningful hug, heck, dare I even say kiss?"

She was thinking about that other person again... Sighing, he said, "A kiss?"

She blew her hair out of her face and put her hands on her hips. "Yeah, stupid to want something so menial right?"

"Thinking about your dream guy?"

She held her forehead. "Not really a dream guy…just someone who has an overpowering affect." She glimpsed at Peter's confused face and then looked away. "Entirely too much power in a glance…" This time she directed her gaze into the ocean with her hands on her hips. "When I look at him, he just has one of the nicest pairs of lips I've ever seen. Just thinking about him makes me babble and make blurbs without stoppage and make up new words and…" she stopped right there and plopped down on the sand. Miserably, she said, "Now…I've probably screwed things up."

He scooted next her. His eyes caught her hands, and he just stared at them. "No…I understand what you're talking about."

She smiled slightly. He was so naïve, it was cute. That's what her problem was…he could take the smallest things, the smallest misinterpretations and turn them into things she would not normally tolerate, but she did, all because it was from him. Everything he did, was okay. Smiling, she said, "No, that's not what I mean."

He bit his bottom lip out of nervousness. She got quiet, almost as if she were waiting for something. This was driving him nuts. It was bad enough he got jealous over something, someone who wasn't even his, but now, she was nervous just thinking about the guy. "Out of curiosity…who is it?"

She chuckled out loud. "You really want to know?"

He kept his eyes on her hands. They were fiddling with something that was in the sand. "Sure…if you don't mind telling me."

'No going back now…' she thought. Looking up at him, she said with a smirk, "IF you really want to know…" She stopped for a moment to shut her eyes. He looked closely at her. He saw her take a deep breath before she reopened her eyes. She shrugged in a whisper. "Go take a look in the mirror."  
  


Note: okay that's the of the chapter. 10 should be out soon...peace out and don't forget to review please!


	10. Chapter Ten

His eyes blinked for a moment before they fell back onto her hands. They were now grasping each other with bits of sand particles in between the cracks. Everything made sense somehow. When his eyes went back up, her's were on her own hands. He couldn't believe it. It was such a shock to his system, he thought he had lost his voice, as meager as it was. He opened his mouth to say something, but when he did, he didn't have a voice. Swallowing hard, he tried again. "Kris…"

Her eyes flew up to face his head on. "There! It's all out in the open. This thing was eating me alive for who knows how long. I thought for sure you knew."

When he opened his mouth again, it felt like he had cotton in it. "No…I didn't know."

She looked away for a moment to laugh. "Do you know how annoying and unbearable it was for me to sit here and say nothing? I had too much curiosity and too much boldness bottled up for too long. God, I just…I wanted to get it over with…" She looked back toward him…straight into his eyes. She didn't know if her true infatuation held for his lips or his eyes. "Did you know that you have the most penetrating, insightful, damnable eyes I have ever encountered? They see straight through me, which leaves my brain racking for responses and defense mechanisms and…too much stuff entirely."

"Kris-"

"I know I've probably just messed things up now-"

She was babbling on and on and he loved every minute of it. It wasn't the fact that she was in pure misery because of this and that she felt weak, but it was because it was her way of showing how she felt; it was the only way she could show it. He loved it and admired her for her attempt. 'I wouldn't do him justice' is what she had said earlier. He smiled at how wrong she truly was.

Pushing an escaped strand of her hair behind her ear, he said quietly, "No you haven't."

"But you know what? That's okay. Just as long as I stay my suave self, I'll be cool. M.J.'s not that only good little actress around here." Her hand landed on her face. "Geez, I'm babbling again all because of those deep blue orbs you call eyes, nice lips, soft hair and…all those other things that will be left unsaid because this madness has to stop somewhere…" She said her peace…finally. It was all out of her system now. 

"Kris?"

She was looking at her folded hands now. "Y-yes?"

He leaned closer to her. He whispered slowly, "Look at me."

She kept her head down. "No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not? You can't, you won't…or you don't want to?"

She chuckled. If he only knew how hard it truly was… "Oh I'd love to, but this all leans toward can't and won't."

"Why won't you look at me?"

"I don't trust myself."

"What do you mean?"

She said matter-of-factly, "I don't trust myself around you. Everything seems…like…I don't know. Before, I could contain how I felt and now everything is running amuck. I guess my subconscious thinks to let it all go…why keep anything else bottled up? I feel threatened by it though. I don't like the thought of my feelings and mouth running like a wild child…"

"Why can't you look at me?"

"Because every time I look at you, and those damn scrutinizing eyes of yours, I lose myself."

He leaned in closer to her until he was only a breath away from her face. Reaching for her chin, he whispered, "Kristina…look at me." He lifted it gently and stared at her dark eyes. They were a swirling mass of brown that he couldn't get enough of. Smiling slowly, he asked, "Now…was that so hard?"

His eyes were the bluest things she had ever seen. They were clean and crystal like, just like the ocean she was looking at not too long ago. She smiled slightly. "Yes…and its getting even harder…"

He smiled back at her…'Still has humor,' he thought. He moved his hand from her chin to her cheek. Rubbing it slightly with his thumb, he murmured, "No it wasn't, you're just being difficult."

"Well you know me. Gotta have every-" she started, but was soon cut off. Peter's hand had pulled her face as close to his as it could go, capturing her lips with swiftness that took her off guard. His lips were just as she had hoped they would be…smooth and soft. They slightly parted and began to massage her's with ease. It was a deliberately slow action, and she loved every second of it. She could feel her body began to loosen some as she felt her own lips part slightly, but she hadn't moved. The last thing she needed to do was ruin this by doing something wrong. 

He didn't know what he was doing…he just reacted. This was very much out of his character, but he didn't care…until he realized that she hadn't responded at all. Now he cared and now he felt like a fool. He didn't normally do such abrupt things like that, but he couldn't help it. Perhaps he had offended her by just acting and not asking…not too many like that. Turning red, he pulled away slowly, still staying close to her face. "I'm sorry…"

Her eyes fluttered back open slowly. He was apologizing. That normally was not a good thing. "W-why?"

His hand was still on her cheek when he looked down slowly. "It was rude and-"

She smiled slowly. He was worried about being rude! She put a hand to his mouth. Interrupting him, she said slowly, "Was like pudding."

His face reddened as he kept his gaze downward. Leaning his mouth to the side of her face, he whispered to her ear, "Like pudding huh?"

She nodded slowly, "Uh huh . . . maybe even better."

"So if I were to do it again, which I would like to, you wouldn't mind?"

Turning her head so she would be looking in his face, she said softly, "Not in the least…"

M.J. yanked the curtains closed on the window. Everything had left her in that one swift moment and now what was she going to? She walked from the window back to Harry. She was hurt, upset, and felt like releasing some feelings. She was not inside herself, but beside herself. Even she couldn't see what the future was going to bring her. If she couldn't even stop her feet from striding so confidently to Harry, how could she think ahead?

Her eyes fell on Harry's broad back. He was looking at the fireplace, adding more wood to it when M.J. slid her hands around his waist. He patted her hands. Grinning quickly he said, "Well hello Miss Mary Jane."

She nuzzled his neck before placing kisses on it. "C'mon Osborn, let's go sit somewhere comfortable." She dragged him to his bed and pushed him down against the bedpost on his bed. Before he could protest to the roughness, she straddled his hips and continued to kiss him. He shut his eyes for a moment until he felt her tugging at his shirt. Taking one of his free hands, he placed it over hers. Breathlessly, he asked, "M.J., don't you want to slow down?"

Moving her hand out of his grasp, she proceeded to unbutton each button quickly. Shaking her head quickly, she answered frankly. "No…I want you Harry…" she looked back up at him. Eyeing him carefully, she said, "Now." She began to assault his mouth with kisses once more.

Her hands roamed his chest and then found their way to his back, where she hugged him closer. He wanted to get closer, share this with her, but not like this. When her lips moved down to his chin and then his neck, he breathed out, "What about Kristi and Pe-"

She quickly pulled his shirt off. "What about them?"

"They are staying here too. And Peter's bed is in here."

She tossed his shirt off to the side, and spoke with indifference. "Kristi is sleeping outside and Peter is probably going to join her," she said between kisses. Her hands roamed down from his chest to his belt.

When he felt her tugging at his belt, he stopped her again. "M.J., I don't know…"

She pulled her head up quickly, her red hair falling in front of her face. "Do you not want me?"

Placing a hand on her cheek he said quietly, "Well yeah I do, but I don't want to go about this the wrong way."

She flashed her teeth at him and placed her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck. "There's nothing wrong about it…"

He could feel himself losing his self-restraint when her hands moved for his belt again. She began to kiss him again and he found himself kissing her back with as much fervor as she was giving him. He moved his lips to her bare shoulder and whispered, "I want this to be special."

"It's romantic Harry. Wine, fire light, and beautiful ocean view. What more is there?"

His hand stopped just above the shoulder strap of her spaghetti strapped dress. "Are you sure?"

Her eyes fell on his. "Yes…I'm positive, are you?" Her hands began to roam into his pants.

His mouth dropped slightly as he muttered, "Oh yes…I'm p-positive…" He was weak and he knew it, but damn it, he didn't care.

Removing the belt promptly, she ordered seductively, "Well then…stop talking." With that…her lips crushed his once more, until she began to feel him take over. He flipped her quickly and kissed her once more, each kiss more urgent then the previous one. He reached for her dress…

Kristi and Peter fell asleep on the beach while lying on her hammock. Peter eyes fluttered open only to be met by the morning sun. He lifted his head from on top of her's to look down at her sleeping body. One of her hands was resting slightly on him, faintly holding his t-shirt, while the other was by his around his lower back. His right arm was resting peacefully around her waist and the other one was resting on her hand that was on his chest. He slowly began to rub against her back. It was a subtle gesture, but one filled with emotion nonetheless. Looking back to her face, he couldn't get over how peaceful it looked. A small smile touched his lips. She was peaceful and happy and he loved to look at her. His face fell when something hit him. All of this time, he had forgotten who he was: He was Spider Man and now he was laying on beach with one of the few people he truly cared about. 'What have I done…' he thought. He let himself fall…

He let himself fall for her.

He finally admitted it to himself and now, he didn't know what to do. What could he do? The past taught him to stray clear of relationships for fear of hurting the ones he cared about. He just did it again. 

What could he tell her? 

There was nothing he could say that would ease the pain he knew she would feel, the pain he knew he would feel. Was he willing to give her up?…he had just found someone who he could honestly say he had no doubts about. Yet, all he could hear was M.J.'s screaming…his Aunt May's pale face lying in a hospital bed…he didn't want Kristina to be on that list. There was no way he could let that happen, but what could he do now? He felt himself not wanting to give this up more than anything now, but what could he do?

M.J. stifled a yawn when she remembered the night before. She slept with Harry…not out of immense feelings for him, but out of fury and resentment. She looked back up at Harry. She remembered the details of that night…

She remembered how he collapsed over her after the unknown goal he strove for was accomplished. She remembered how he lifted his head slightly toward her sweaty one and how he kissed her lightly on the lips. His kisses were so genuine. They then were moved to her neck. They found her earlobe and began to remain there. He whispered gently, "I love you…" His head fell and rested on her shoulder to kiss it before he shut his eyes….

She shut her eyes to shake herself of the thought. He told her he loved her. He never spoke those words to anyone and he gave them to her. What had she done? He deserved better than this… 

She had given up the only thing that she would never get back, had someone who cared immensely for her say he love her while demonstrating his love in the only precious physical manner there is and why? Because she was angered to see Kris and Peter kiss… She wanted to crawl into a hole and die. It wasn't until this moment that she felt so regretful and remorseful over her actions. She picked her head up and kissed Harry's ear. "I'm sorry," is all she whispered. She never gave Harry the proper chance because she was too busy having delusions of grandeur over Mr. Peter Parker. She could start over with herself, and give him the right chance. He always deserved it, but because she had been so willing to secretly deny him, he never was given the chance.

Now that she thought about it, she wasn't the one in the position to say whether someone deserved something or not. Because of the current circumstances, she didn't deserve anything. Who was she to be debating that Harry deserved a chance when it should be the other way around? She groaned to herself. Now what was she going to do. Harry should know the truth, but she didn't want to be held responsible for the hatred she knew he would feel. She needed to talk with someone . . . someone who was willing to pay attention and listen and not judge her before hand. The ironic thing was that the person, as bitchy as she had been to her, is on the beach right now laying with Peter Parker...

Kristi's eyes opened slowly. She was almost frightened by the fact that someone was breathing slowly under her, but soon calmed as she remembered what happened that led her to that position. With a small smile, she peered upward to a face that was filled with worry. "Well hello."

Peter's eyes fell onto her face. Giving a small smile, he said, "Good morning."

The lines on his face were deepened, causing his face to have creases. Kristi sat up so she could face him correctly. "What's wrong?"

He didn't have a clue as to where to start. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand over his face. He couldn't say anything now… "Nothing, just sleepy." He added in a yawn for good measure.

"I've never seen someone look so serious because they were sleepy." Kristi turned her head to the side as if to get a better look at him. His blue eyes were lazy, but they alone were the proof she needed to show her that something was wrong. 

Kristi opened her mouth to say something, but Peter stopped her. His eyes locked on hers as his voice took on a harsh tone that wasn't supposed to leave his lips. "Nothing okay?" 

She touched his arm gently. "Peter…" she started, but soon stopped. Giving him one more look, she turned her back to him and stood up with a big stretch. She felt regret wash over her. She wasn't about to act stupid and think that whatever it was he was thinking about had nothing to do with her and no doubt what she had said to him. She should have just kept her mouth shut. She shook her head at herself slowly before looking out to the ocean. She should have listened to herself and kept it in.

Peter watched her carefully with interest. She began to move around, putting things in her bag, cleaning things off. She was upset. Fidgeting was her trademark when upset or nervous. He knew she had nothing to be nervous of so it had to be the other. "Kristi, look at me."

She shook her head. "Just stop there.You obviously don't know what to say or you just don't want to say it, so just drop it."

He reached out for her. "You must know its not you…"

Turning around swiftly, she said, "But it's something that I've done."

"I just said it wasn't you."

"There is a difference between something being me and it being something that I've done, an action of some sort. I'm not blind Peter."

Peter sat up and made room for her. "Kristi, come sit here with me." He reached for her arm and pulled her toward him tenderly. Hearing her sigh, he turned her face toward him. " I'm sorry if you feel that you've done something wrong, but believe when I say that you haven't."

He was looking at her so sadly as if something bad had happened. His eyes that were normally shiny, were low and dull as though they had lost their spark. She could feel it in her bones that something was array and it had to do with her. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like…" She turned from him and looked to the water. "I don't know. I can't explain it."

He took a deep breath and prayed that everything would come out right. "Believe me, one day, everything between me and you and everything around us will one day make sense. I promise you that. Until then, I'm sorry for anything that I've done to you or will do to you. You do know that I don't want to hurt you right?"

What was he talking about? Nodding her head absently, she looked at him confused. "I know, but I don't understand."

"I know you don't, but you will one day. I promise. Right now, I can't..." he stopped himself. He couldn't say it. Changing his words, he said, "I need some time." At least this way there was hope. Not only for her ears, but even for his own.

"I wasn't going to push you if that's what you're thinking."

"No, yes, wait." He took a deep breath again. "This isn't coming out right. Time is just something that needs to be my friend." Holding her hand, he said quietly, "I care about you. You must always, always know that I care about you. Will you remember that?"

"I'll remember." Patting her hand, he held it up to his face and gave it a quick peck. That was about all he could say or was willing to say. Everything else would wait. They had time . . . that's really what they needed. 

Packing everything up, Peter and Kristi made their way back into the beach house. M.J. was sitting in Kristi and her room with a pink silk robe on. She sat in the corner in a chair staring out of the window. Kristi peered behind the door. Seeing M.J. sitting there, she wondered for a moment what was going on with her. Shrugging her shoulders, she figured that maybe things didn't go as well as between she and Harry as he had hoped. "Hey J."

She nodded her head as sign of acknowledging her. Kristi eyed her for a few moments longer before heading to the bathroom to take a shower. 

When she left the bathroom in some jean capris and a brown shirt. She made her way to her bed and sat down. Drying her hair with a towel, she turned to M.J. From the looks of it, she hadn't moved an inch. "You know, you could always you talk with me before. What's up?"

M.J. turned to face her. Instead of looking at Kristi, she put a hand to her face. "I can't . . . I don't know." With a loud sigh, she said, "Look, its you and Peter."

Kristi's eyebrow rose. "What?"

"I saw you two . . . last night. It makes me upset and confused and I can't handle it!" she yelled in frustration. Her voice taking an angry tone, she said with her voice dripping with venom, "You know how angry it makes me? Do you have any clue about how I feel, how lost and helpless I feel?"

Kristi dropped her towel and shook her head. "No, I don't. Help me understand why seeing me and him would make you so dejected."

M.J. sighed helplessly. "Look . . . Peter was the only person who saw the real me on the inside. He saw me, he didn't judge me, and he understood me. He has made me feel so many things that I thought just weren't meant for me to feel. He made me feel special, he made me feel that I should be happy with who I am. And now it was taken from me."

"How he romantically feels about you should have no impact that. I'm sorry if you feel that I took that away from you, but what more solace can I offer?"

She shook her head quickly. "I don't want sympathy. I want you to understood where I'm coming from. I have a feeling you don't though."

Kristi shook her finger at her. "If you think for one second that I don't know what it's like to feel like nothing, then you don't know me." She threw her hands up. "Geez M.J., you have beauty, popularity, and charisma."

She had a very sarcastic laugh, "Not enough since you have Peter's affection."

"M.J....you have so much going for you. Because of how one person feels about you should not bring you down."

M.J. turned from the window and sat on the bed next to Kristi. "I need to come to you because I can trust you." She looked down at her hands. "Even though I haven't been the most civil person..."

Kristi patted her on her shoulder. "Not worrying about that right now .Now what else is wrong?"

She bit her bottom lip. "My feelings are mixed with Harry."

Kristi looked up at the ceiling. "He's your boyfriend, yet from the sounds of it and the way your talking about Peter, it seems as though you harbor no feelings for him at all."

M.J. was on the verge of tears. She moved her foot back and forth across the floor. "I feel more for him than I ever have before, but . . . " a tear rolled down her face, "for all the wrong reasons. I didn't feel anything..."

She wasn't making any sense. Kristi looked down when she heard M.J.'s voice cracking. Peering at her low hanging face, she asked quietly, "What's wrong?"

M.J. didn't even know if she could get it out. Swallowing hard, she said quickly fully of stutters, "Kris...I...I slept with Harry."

Finally, it clicked. Kristi leapt off of the bed. "You WHAT!"

M.J.'s face tightened up with anger as she hopped off of the bed herself. Staring Kristi down with her red eyes she said between sniffles. "Look, I don't need you making me feel anymore guilty than I already do now, okay? I don't need it now. Believe me, I feel bad enough already." She tightened her eyes.

"Why would you do this? Why? Why to him and . . . why to yourself?"

M.J. began to pace around the room. "I was upset and angry and just gone. I lost something that I will never get back because I was pissed off about something." She turned back to face Kristi. "How do you think I feel about this? I..." she trailed off not being able to even finish her thought. 

Kristi shook her head at her. Bitterly, she spoke to her crumpled form. "M.J., if you're coming to me for sympathy, look elsewhere."

"I already told you. I don't want sympathy, I just want someone to talk to about this."

"It should be Harry. He doesn't deserve this. He cares about you entirely too much."

M.J. shook her head again before settling back onto the bed. Holding her head in her hands, she said quietly, "I don't want to hurt him."

Kristi scoffed this time. "Fine time for you to think about that now."

M.J. held her head up and looked Kristi straight in the eye. "Regardless of how this all may sound, after all I've done, I do care about him. If I didn't, I wouldn't be so upset. Even you can see that." Kristi stared at her eyes for a long time. They were becoming puffy and were red all around her blue eyes that used to shine brightly. Kristi's feelings subsided when she looked at her. She meant it. Kristi couldn't bare looking at her now. Something in her forced her to turn away. M.J. spoke up quickly. "There is something there for him." 

Kristi licked her lips before looking for a hair clip. Stopping in mid-search, she turned to M.J. carefully. "Are you just telling yourself this so you can feel better?"

She shook her head quickly. "No! That's why I've been so confused. Everything I wanted from Peter is in Harry." M.J. slowed her breathing down and took a deep breath. " Since his father's death, he changed into someone else. Before, he followed his father around like a lost puppy, constantly wanting affection but knowing he wouldn't get it because to Norman Osborn, work came before family, and Harry just wasn't his dream child. So, Harry turned to me . . . what he wanted from me was to have me on his arm, nothing more. Our relationship was supposed to be one of the few things his father could say Harry didn't mess up at or didn't fail at. His father loomed over everything Harry had ever done. I knew it from the very start when he would say what I should wear when meeting his father or how I should do my hair . . . in the beginning, it was never for him." A pool of tears over flowed from her eyes. " Now . . . he's changed so. When his father died, we were separated. He came to me and apologized for his actions. He told me from his own lips exactly what I had just said to you. He told me of how he was wrong for how he treated me and he begged for forgiveness for it." She stopped for a moment to wipe her eyes. Wiping her face some, she started again. "He's changed into the man I've always admired in Peter and it scares me. What I was looking for and found in Peter, I'm finding in Harry and I'm so scared. Every time I see his eyes, I see him being so loving and caring, the way he wanted to be but wasn't for fear of his father's disapproval and it scares me. He cares so much..."

Kristi was getting confused. "You're scared because you're starting to like him?"

M.J. shrugged her shoulders. "I've always liked him . . . just not like this. Last night really opened my eyes. I've been resisting him because I was being blind and ignorant and I hate myself for it. The one thing I wanted was staring me in the face the entire time and I just may have screwed it up horribly."

"So simply put, you're falling or fallen for Harry and you don't want to accept it."

"Yes and no. What upsets me is not so much of my falling for him, but that I feel like a thief. He told me he loved me." Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to spill over once more. "God he cares so much . . . we shared something that at that moment meant nothing to me because I was filled with resentment and contempt. He made love to me, I slept with him. Do you see the difference? It wasn't suppose to be like this."

Kristi looked at her form. All of this talking, these rambles were straight from her heart, and Kristi knew it. This was the catharsis that she needed badly and was now getting. All things from the past dissolved from Kristi's mind. What she saw now was someone who cared about someone, but was driven to the point of being gone. M.J. was so confused and experienced so many things with her feelings, that her actions weren't necessarily justified, but were finally understood. Kristi could feel nothing but remorse for her and could only hope that things worked out for her and Harry . . . that everything worked out for the best. 

When it came down to it, after all the arguments, all the times they had together, she was a nice person. There were so many times Kristi could remember M.J. helping her, and being nice to her. She really was a nice person, but suffered from an overabundance of feelings. Nice people didn't deserve to feel this much pain. Patting her on the back, Kristi said encouragingly, "Well . . . you can move on from this. Build from what you've learned about yourself and hope for the best." Kristi's eyes wandered to the ground before she began again. "Are you going to tell him?"

M.J. shot up from the bed. "No! I can't. I couldn't bear losing him, his friendship, losing the one thing that ever actually made complete sense to me. It started out mutual, then for his father, then I thought about Peter and it became a tool for jealousy, and now this . . . " She groaned out loud. "How did things get so bad?"

Kristi sighed. "I'm not sure, but things certainly have no where to go but up." She glimpsed at M.J.'s face that was now flushed and swollen. "Why don't you go take a cold shower or bath. That'll make you feel better." M.J. nodded her head absently. Grabbing a few things, she headed to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Kristi exhaled loudly. So it finally all came together. She finally saw what it was that M.J. was doing, and why she was doing it. For once, she had an insight into how she was feeling and what she was feeling and FINALLY, she understood. Maybe now things could start looking up...

Once everyone was packed up, they loaded the car and left their temporary seaside home. So many things had happened within those five days. Everyone had grown some, and now they had only the future to look to. Hopefully, it would be promising...

Once they had returned to New York almost everything went back to normal. As far as Harry was concerned, he and M.J. were better than ever. M.J., seeing Harry in this new light, was finally at peace with herself and her heart. Kristi and Peter were another thing...

Time was what he said he wanted, so she gave it to him. For three weeks, all she could hear were his words echoing in the back of her head. Every time she looked at him, every time they sat next to each other in class, she saw his promise in his eyes and an inkling of regret. During classes, he would try to bring back the original setting they were used to, but it was a task becoming too hard for even the strongest of willed people. 

Kristi used her night life as an outlet. Her emotions were awry and now, she figured she could use this as therapy. Spider Man never said anything about her disposition, maybe it was because he was thinking the same thing about himself...

Inconnu had a plan and trap set. He wanted to see her in action and of course what better way to lure her than by harming her friend the spider? If he could get his hands on the Spider, she would be sure to follow. That was evident. The Doctor would get his spider to torture and turn bad, and he would get his Kristina. But that part would have to come later...Patience is after all a virtue.

Normal muggers were hired to bust into a jewelry store, steal a few items, and run. Of course, they would run to a certain location, and then, the fun would begin.

Black Rose had stayed behind to clean up on another heist, so conveniently planned. Spider Man's spider sense went off. Looking to the distance, he started for the source of it. "I'm gonna go check something else out. You got it here?"

"Yeah," she said through the mask. "I got it." He swung off into the distance. There were a couple of robbers running off with a bag of jewels on top of a building a few stories shorter than the one he was perched on. He leapt down and landed in front of them. As he was down there, his sense went off again. The thugs, as usual, began to swing at him, he dodged every punch, yet his sense was still going off. As his fist made contact with one thug, another one had placed something by his feet. It sent a strong pulse by Spider Man's legs, knock him off of his feet. The near by thug jumped on him and stuck him with a hypodermic needle. Spider Man's hand swung quickly to knock the thug off of him. Everywhere he turned, it seemed as though there were more of them. He looked around and realized there were more. It started out as three, yet around him stood six. His legs began to feel loose. What had they stuck him with? 

Falling to his knees, he looked up dizzily. They were circling him now, jeering at him. "Aww, look at big bad Spider boy. What's the matter, can't get up?" With that, the thug kicked him swiftly in the stomach. Peter fell to the ground gripping his stomach.

Another thug bent down and pulled his face up so he could look at him. "Not so big and bad when you can't walk huh?" Turning his head from Spider Man for a moment, he yelled to one of the people, "Hey, what was that stuff we put in him?"

"Some sorta thing to make it so he can't move or think straight. Paralyze him or something...we better get our fun in now since it ain't gonna last forever."

The thug holding Spider Man's head up, proceeded to slap him hard across the face. The force left Spider Man on all fours once more. Focusing his mind, he reached his arm up, and shot webbing in the face of the thug who just slapped him. "Ah! What the hell is this stuff?" he yelled while trying to get it off of his face. Two more thugs came by and swiftly kicked Spider Man again. One knelt down and picked up Spider Man's face. "Let's see who the pretty boy is huh? You fellas wanna see whose ass we're whoopin'?" The group shared a unison of agreeing. "C'mon pretty boy, let's see who you are huh?" He ripped at the mask, tearing parts of the thread. Spider Man raised his hands to punch the thug away, hitting him only sometimes. His aim was off and his mind disoriented. Getting the mask off, the thug didn't have enough time to look at the face because he was soon on the ground. 

Black Rose stood in front of Spider Man with her hands up. The thugs began to circle them menacingly. "Oh great…there's two of you. What, are you his long lost sister or somethin'?"

"No relation. Hate to break it to you."

"This has nothing to do with you girly. Don't start fightin' other people's fights. It ain't your problem."

She had stooped down to see if he was all right. She made a small gasp when she saw the blood coming from his face...from the face of Peter. She lifted her head up shakily. Peter was Spider Man... Touching the blood that was trickling down the sides of his face, she stood up angrily. Gritting her teeth after seeing the cut on his forehead, she said with venom, "You mess with him, you mess with me." Adding a bit of humor she added, "It's a two for oney. A great deal really." 

"Well…it just you me and my boys now since your lil boyfriend is now a lil out of it."

"Bring it." Peter tried to stand up, but only fell back down.

"Guns up fellas." All of them brought guns up and pointed them at her. Their orders were to shoot, but not shoot to kill.

Kristi closed her eyes and concentrated with all of her might on Peter. Experimenting with the powers led her to find that they were more potent if dealing with emotions. Anger, hate, and love were the ones that generated the strongest effects. Holding out her palms quickly, she made a perimeter around the two of them with her mind. She shut her eyes tighter and soon felt her feelings leaving her fingertips. The sounds of the bullets leaving each barrel were simultaneous with her hand movements. 

She heard the gunshots soon fade away with everything else that was in her mind. She exhaled sharply as she felt the bullets slowing to a complete stop in front of her and Peter. She opened her eyes slowly and saw the bullets floating in front of her and Peter. Peter's eyes widened in shock as he glanced back up at her. He knew she could throw people without touching them, but he didn't know she was quick enough to stop bullets in mid-flight. His mind was racing for an answer that never came…

One thug dropped his gun in disbelief. "How the hell are you doing that?"

"Every girl's gotta have her secrets."

"Get her!" Dropping the bullets swiftly with her mind, she sprang into action. She waved her hand slightly, leaving the men charging toward her flying onto their backs. 

She glanced down at Peter who was steady trying to stand up. She tried to pick him up, but failed. Wincing, he said, "They put something in me. I can barely move." He was in no shape to seek shelter of his own and she couldn't let them get away while she brought him somewhere safe. She had to get him out of here. A thought flashed in her mind. She had never moved a body with her mind before, not at a steady pace anyway… Concentrating again, she grasped his body with her mind and attempted to levitate him onto a nearby-secluded building away from all of this. 

Peter felt a warm rush completely engross him. He looked downward only to see the ground become smaller and smaller. 

Because she was carrying Peter, she was caught completely off guard. She was concentrating all of her energy on getting him to safety. Since she had never attempted this before with someone…she was scared a little at the possible things that could happen. Receiving a blow to the head, Kristi fell to the ground with a loud thump. She felt her mind falter, but continued to grip Peter's form until he was safe. She promptly received a swift a kick to the ribs. Groaning out loud from the pain, she kept her mind steady. She waved a hand to push the men away from her, yet, they didn't go as far back as before. She began to move Peter faster and faster. Anger was controlling her power now…

Peter felt his body jolt downward, but soon continue its steady course upward. It soon became faster and faster. When he reached the top of the building, he felt himself being dropped.. Moving as quickly as he could, his eyes flew over the ledge. 

Black Rose's eyes opened quickly and began to focus on the opposition. Before she could receive another kick, she caught the foot in air and twisted it roughly. Feeling the ground shake from the force of a man's body hitting the pavement, she hopped onto her feet and began to fight.

Peter sat down on the roof of the building fully aware of what was going on below him. He felt like he was paralyzed. His vision began to dim in and out but he concentrated on keeping them focus. He watched his new friend in awe as she fought. Friend? He referred to her as a friend. He smiled to himself. It felt good to be able to say that. There was something special about her. Not just because of the whole Matrix thing she just pulled, but it was her air about things. There was something elegant about the way she did things. It was calm…suave…graceful…and…beautiful. His eyes rolled backwards and he slumped forward.

The men had begun to run away from her, going down the fire escape to cars that were strangely awaiting them. She thought about going after them, but thought about Peter. He was on the roof unattended and un masked. She ran back across the building top and grabbed his mask. She then went to the building roof that Peter was on. When she reached the roof, she saw Peter lying down face forward. She lifted his face and tapped him around the face to try to awaken him. He was mumbling something . . . from the sounds of it, it was his name and address and then, he stopped talking. He was unconscious. Scooping him up, she held him with one arm, shot out gossamer webbing to a nearby building, and began to swing toward his apartment. Since Harry had moved out, it was only him, which left her at an advantage. 

She reached his room and swiftly opened the doors to his balcony. She looked around quickly for his bed. Finding it, she placed him down on the bed gently and focused her eyes on his silent form. She lifted her mask off and stared at him. She checked his pulse…normal. She checked his breathing…it appeared normal. From what she could tell, he was sleeping. She bent down closer to his form and turned her head to the side. She stared at the small cut that was along his left temple. Grabbing for the nearest thing, which happened to be a sock, she applied pressure to it to stop the bleeding. His body stirred and she felt him stiffen. She took her glove off and glided a hand across his forehead and down his cheek. His body gradually relaxed under her touch. He looked so innocent and vulnerable right then. Overwhelmed by feelings foreign to her, she leaned in even closer. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek. 

He kept slipping in and out of consciousness while lying on that bed. He felt that he was in his room, but knew he wasn't alone. He felt the gentle touch and relaxed under it. What relaxed him even more was the touch of lips on his cheek. He felt his head fall slightly toward the direction of the kiss. He felt the warmth pull away and he opened his eyes slightly. He could make out the form of a woman, but not the face. He felt himself murmur something. "Stay…"

He heard the voice respond, "I will, but only for a small while." His head fell slightly to the side. She hated seeing him like that. Her voice began to crack as she spoke. "Oh Peter..."

Everything was so clouded around him, but he heard his name. "You know who I am now."

"But Peter, I'm-"

Endangering others…his thoughts flew immediately to Kristi. He shook his head as best as he could. "Stop it. No…promise…remember?"

She should tell him. She should tell him right now…"But-"

"No…besides, I know all I need to know."

"What would that be?"

"That you're a friend…" And with that, she felt him release her hand and fall into a deep slumber.  

Her breathing increased. Leaning down, she didn't think he could hear her, but she said it any way. "Peter it's me...it's Kristi. It's me. I'm sorry I wasn't there. I'm so sorry." She bent down and kissed his cheek once more before she left out of the window.

.................................................

Two days later, "Sir, she is magnificent!" a scientist exclaimed happily. "Her brain waves are incredible. According to this, she's using about 25% of her brain which is a dramatic increase I must say to the normal human. The serum we have already made needs only a few adjustments. With in two days tops, it should be ready."

Inconnu's friend began to pace. "Inconnu . . . tell me. Why did you not take Spider Man then?"

"Because, we need him for another time. She must never know that we know who she is..."

"I wanted Spider Man! You promised him to me."

"You'll get your damn arachnid. Stop pestering me about it." Inconnu walked out of the lair behind the scientist leaving him with a few of his assistants.

He began to flex his fists in and out. "Things are going a little too slowly for me. The Spider is weakened now and will be for the next couple of days. They have a protocol serum ready for her . . . why not make things a little interesting for her and Spider Man?"

Kristi tried to get in touch with Peter for the last couple of days. Since their classes ended, it was almost as though he had disappeared. When she went to see Aunt May, she had told her that he said he needed some time from things. She wished he would come back. She understood now...she understood finally why he needed time, why Spider Man had told her that he didn't want that "someone" special getting hurt. Everything was so much clearer now. She had to let him now that she understood and that everything would be okay now.

Peter's classes had finished and he went back to his Aunt May's and stayed there, telling her to tell everyone that came by that he went away for some alone time. He stayed in his room the whole time just thinking. Someone knew who he was and he trusted them. He trusted a face he had never seen. He tried desperately to remember all of what happened that night, for some reason couldn't. 

It had been four days when he decided to go back to his place. Once he got there, he put on his suit and went swinging into the night. His spider sense began to ring immediately when went over the Science Institute. Landing on the building top, he had worked his way inside toward the source of the sense.

Black Rose had seen him go into the building as she was swinging from another building. Her sense was also going off, so she decided to go check it out, hoping to give Peter some help and maybe even have the chance to talk to him.

Spider Man walked down the hall carefully, listening intently to the sounds around him. His sense was going off like crazy but he couldn't find the source of it. Hearing foot steps behind him he turned swiftly.

Black Rose went in the same direction as Spider Man. She called out for him when suddenly, she heard Mr. Morris over a speaker. All she heard was the piercing sound of him screaming.

Spider Man heard the yelling and went in the direction of it, but reached a dead end. The screaming stopped but continued promptly after it stopped. Now it wasn't a yell of pain. He realized what the person was screaming..."Run". He turned around swiftly and ran to the other end of the white hallway. Smoke began to enter from the vents.

Black Rose had taken a sharp turn when all of the sudden, there was metal in front of her almost like a door. She never remembered that being there. There was thick glass inside of the metal, allowing her to peek inside at what was going on. There was a green smoke that filled the area. She saw some movement, but saw the figure soon collapse. Then, doors opened quickly and men with gas masks came running in, taking the figure out with them. She had to find a way to them, but how? "Welcome young one," a voice boomed over the speakers. 

She turned around swiftly. "Who's there?"

"The one holding your Spider Man and the man who helped turn you into the freaks you are."

They were talking about Mr. Morris. He had nothing to do with it! He was just the person in charge of the Super Spider Project... They must have thought that she and Spider Man were associated with him. "What do you want?"

"What do I want? What do you think I want?"

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking."

"Aren't you flippant? Didn't you learn any manners?"

"I'm not into acting like a lady when I'm not around a gent." Why were they babbling so much? 

"Aren't you going to inquire or where the Morris fella and Spider Man are?"

"Where are they?"

"Somewhere...."

"You're not here to play cat and mouse and procrastinate . . . tell me where are they."

"At the moment, they are in a helicopter flying to a nice little warehouse."

"Where are they going?"

"The Borrows warehouse. You might want to hurry though . . . we've got little patience and resistance when it comes to an opportunity for torture."

She was already running out of the building...

Spider Man attempted to focus his eyes, but something was clouding his judgement. When he was finally somewhat oriented, he realized he was on his knees looking at the ground. He groaned with pain. His head was pulsating with pain. "Well hello there. We meet again."

He lifted his head slowly in the direction of the voice. Swaying slightly, he picked himself off of the ground and stood up. "W-who are you?" he said shakily. His body felt unstable and couldn't fight it.

"Who am I? You don't remember me? I'm the good doctor! Remember...Doctor DeMarquise. You don't remember me? Oh well, you thought you had gotten rid of me. Well guess what? I'm back!" Spider Man peered through the dimly lit room. The figure was a good five inches shorter than him. The ceiling of the building was made of glass which admitted the moonlight as the only source of light at the moment. The light danced off of some sort of suit that shone like metal. The figure made a lunge at him, but Spider Man blocked him. Spider Man's actions were becoming slower and slower with every movement.

Every punch he made seemed not to have an effect on the doctor. From what he could see, the suit the man wore felt like normally material but was made with something that absorbs force when applied to it, like his punches. DeMarquise lunged at him once more, taking a swift punch to his jaw and then another one quickly to his stomach.

Spider Man had fallen backwards. For some reason, his mind was reeling with anger. He couldn't control it, he couldn't handle it. It was flowing through his brain with the speed of light. When he attempted to fight it, his body felt overwhelming pain. Something in him let it flow through him. Then he locked his eyes on DeMarquise. He got up and spun some webbing from his wrists toward his opponent. Wrapping him in some of it, Spider man gripped it and spun him around in the air. Releasing the webbing, DeMarquise was released into a nearby wall.

He grunted as he made impact with it. He was turning....A smile crept to his lips. Standing up, he said quickly, "So Spider Man, how does it feel to not be in control of your actions?"

"What would you know about it?"

He chuckled joyfully. "I know enough. I know that now, we can control you."

"What?"

"Oh yes . . . I left out the part of the business deal. Well now, me and my associates want you and your little girlfriend to become partners."

"Please, I don't work for schitzos."

"The Zorro thing was temporary. I've changed . . . I've moved onto bigger and better things. I offered you a truce once before, and you spat it back in my face, and promptly disintegrated most of my business. So...I joined up with bigger boys. Don't you feel at least a little funny? You can't control some of you movements. It's started already."

"What has?"

"Well...you denied me the first time, so I'm doing it by force. Nice gas we had for you huh? It reacts with your brain.. Long story short, we're going to force you into joining us and you can't do anything about it."

Spider Man shook his head as his body began to stagger, "I'm not joining you."

"You don't have a choice." He pulled out some blades from behind him and threw at Spider Man. He dodged them quickly and ran straight for the doctor. He hit him in the gut, slamming into the wall. He grasped the doctor by the throat and slammed him against the wall once more. His head jerking around, he said "LOOK at WHAT your DOing. YOU can't CONtrol IT!"

Spider Man stopped slamming him up against the wall. He had never been this violent. His brain still had the pulsating sensation. Picking up the doctor, He threw him clear across the room. He began to shake his head in an attempt to knock whatever this was out of his head. He felt like his insides were screaming at him. His anger had reached a peak that left him reeling, like he was high on a drug. Then, his body began to drop, not literally, but in a figurative sense. It was almost as though . . . he were changing. Grasping some strength, he began to resist...

The doctor hopped to his feet awaiting another assault. He dropped his stance when he saw Spider Man falter forward. He finally fell onto his knees gripping his head. "Give it up! You are mine now!"

Spider Man shook his head. Finally his entire body shook, resembling something along the lines of a seizure. His impulse was to resist, but his head was in so much pain. It felt like it was expanding more and more, nearing explosion, but never quite getting there. He thought for sure that he should have passed out from sheer exhaustion, but whatever the put in him, kept his body conscious by inducing pain. It was as though they expected him to resist, so a mechanism in his head, obviously the Nerves that encouraged pain, obviously, were the main weapon to getting him to give up. He was to the point of wincing out in pain. He stood up once more, but staggered back down. He refocused his eyes and attempted to calm down. Taking long deep breaths, breathing was becoming harder. It felt as though his lungs were beginning to close up and his throat shut down. Then it occurred to him . . . at this rate, he would hyperventilate, resulting in him having to passing out. If he passed out, perhaps it would stop the pain and perhaps stop the nerves. He began to force himself to breath harder and harder.

It didn't take long for the doctor to figure out what he was doing. He ran towards him and began to slap him around. "Breath regularly dammit. Stop it! Stop it! If you think that this is going to work your-" Spider Man's body fell limp in his arms. "That bastard..." he mumbled.

"Problems doc?" Klefton walked down a stairway that was hidden by the darkness."

"The prick made himself hyperventilate. If he's unconscious, it won't have an effect. This is the serum that is only potent for a short time. Damn idiot. We gotta inject him again."

"With what? The other serum is for the girl."

The doctor shook his head angrily before throwing Spider Man's body down quickly. "One day I'm gonna squash this little nuisance like the bug he is." 

"Let's bring him by Morris. It ought to be interesting." Klefton scratched his head. Inconnu was a brilliant man. Surely he wouldn't have been this stupid? "Are you sure Inconnu ordered this? I would have thought for sure that he would want to be here for this."

Dropping Spider Man by a tied Mr. Morris, he proceeded to tie up his hands in duct tape. "Forgive me...I lied." He began to place electrodes to the sides of his red head.

Klefton's eyes shot upward. "You what? This wasn't the plot for him?"

"No...I wanted Spider Man now, but because he's a moron, it won't be until later."

Klefton could ring his neck. "Damn fool. Inconnu is gonna-" he stopped quickly when he saw a black figure through the window land in front of the building. "Too late now . . . she's here. Turn the shield on around the two. I handle her."

The warehouse was off by itself, with the city lights off in the small distance. It was off in the middle of no where it seemed, near an abandoned dock. The place was all together desolate. Black Rose found an entrance which was so handily left open for her. As soon as she stepped inside, the doors slammed shut. There was a lot of mist in the room, which was funny because from what she could see, there were no pipes that led past the docks. 

She made her way through the dark corridor to some steps. Peering through the darkness, she saw no one around her. She looked up the steps warily. Her spider sense was going off. She went up the steps.

As soon as she stepped into it, the lights came on. In the corner, she saw Mr. Morris tied up and gagged to a pipe with something being pointed at him. Spider Man, who was barely conscious, was tied down with wires connected to his face. She began to run to them, when Spider Man struggled out a " Stop." Swallowing hard, he said struggled out, "Th-there's some . . . r-round us." Black Rose shot some electricity into it. As soon as the bright light hit the invisible barrier, it lit up in an array of blues and greens. The machine to shut it off appeared to be in there with them. 

She began to figure out a way in, when a masculine voice said quickly, "So glad you could make it."

She turned around to the direction of the voice. Her breath caught in her throat. "Klefton?"

His emerald eyes sparkled down on her. "Hello....what is your name?"

"K- Black Rose."

"Yes...well, how do you know who I am...hmm? Perhaps you work at the Institute with our dear friend Morris." He knew damn well how she knew him, but he figured it better to keep it under wraps until Inconnu could get his hand in this. He had made explicit orders for her not to know that they knew who she was. The doctor really screwed up this time, might as well attempt to get it done with now....

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because...it's this simple. My boss, his counterpart, and myself, want you to join us. We want Spider boy also, but he's just a stubborn little punk." He began to circle her. "We've already given him the speech, so I'll repeat it for you. We want you as allies. Join us in an organization of organized crime. Now I know it sounds a little off the top now, but it does have its benefits. You won't have to fight for the system . . . you'll be above it. We have some mighty powerful people offering you whatever you want..."

Her mind began to falter slightly. Shaking it off, she scoffed at him. "You're out your mind."

"Am I really? Think about it. Anything you want, at your fingertips." 

She pushed him roughly. "Let them go." Why did she just push him?

He caught her hand in mid air and threw it down roughly. "Business first my child. We have so much to discuss."

"There is nothing to discuss, let them go."

"Damn it . . . you have to make things difficult don't you?" he said with a hard kick to her gut. She flew to the ground. She didn't even see it coming . . . it was like her spider sense had been turned off. Seeing her roll around on the ground, he said with a wide grin, "Aw . . . sad you didn't see it coming? Liked that mist you went through? It wasn't meant to be a shower sweet heart. Sorry if it left you a little on the off side. " He kicked her again. Moving away from her, he said quickly, "Keep your eyes open, the fun is just beginning." Pressing a button on a controller concealed in his hands, a beam shot at Mr. Morris. She flinched as she heard him yell in pain.

She charged at Klefton relentlessly. "Leave him alone!" She threw her hand into the air toward him, sending him flying against his back. Something was wrong with her . . . she couldn't control her anger, but she sure liked sending him in the air. She ran toward his form. Picking him up, she slammed him against the wall. Her actions were feeling more and more like they weren't her own. 

Still clutching the controller, he pressed as many buttons on it as he could. This time Spider Man joined in with Mr. Morris's screams. They were high pitched showing them being in excruciating pain.

Spider Man writhed in his seat as sharp pains were pumping throughout his system. His vocal chords screamed mercilessly as his body screamed for mercy. Shaking his head profusely, he managed to tear a few of the patches from his face. He shook his head until all of the patches were gone. 

Black Rose slammed Klefton into the wall once more. "Turn it off!" When he failed to do so, she wrapped her hands around his neck and shot electricity into him. Hearing him scream, she yelled over his yells. "Turn it off now!" He dropped the controller and the yells ceased except for his...

Spider Man, now without the electrodes connected to him, began to attempt to break his bonds. He strained as mich as he could until he felt the tape that was wrapped around his hands begin to tear.

Black Rose gritted her teeth tightly. She had built up so much anger and hatred toward him. She stopped shooting electricity in him long enough to slam him into the wall again. "First you go and screw with Morris." She slammed him against the wall. "Then you screwed with my boy Spider Man." She punched in the stomach. Klefton had on a shock absorber suit like the doctor, but even her strength reached passed the suit and affected him more than it should have. Damn...she was strong... 

Hearing a whoosh come from his lips, she spoke again. "Then you had the nerve to screw with me by screwing with them! Oh no...this will NOT go unpunished." She lifted him from being pinned against the wall and threw him to the ground. 

She thought it was odd that he was able to get back up with hardly any trouble. He locked his eyes on hers. With his pools of green with golden flecks swimming in the mists, he said slowly, "You will listen to me..."

"Hell no buddy." With that, she kicked him in the stomach.

He stood back up and hissed out a "YES!"

She felt something ticking in the back of her head but pushed it aside easily. "What are you, deaf? I said NO!"

"Your mind has grown stronger . . . why don't you show me what you can do sweet heart?"

"Don't call me that!" She lifted him with her mind and slammed him against the walls. Her hands flew into the air once more, shooting electricity from her tips. Her body was beginning to sway now.

Klefton had fallen forward, stumbling a little. "Finish it off!" he dared. "Don't you feel how powerful you are? You don't know how to use it and you need guidance."

She strode toward him. She held her hand out and formed a ball of electricity in her hand. Holding her palm up, she threatened to throw it at him. "Who do you work for? Who is it?"

"The one that will soon control you."

"Wrong answer." She chucked the ball or power at his neck, realizing that his neck was a special spot. She pinned him down against the wall with her mind so he couldn't move. "My patience is running thin at the moment, so answer me! Tell me coward! "

His face scrunched up in pain from the ball of light thrown at him. Swallowing hard, he said quickly, "Coward? Who's the real coward: Me or the one hiding behind the mask?"

She took a step toward him and whispered venomously, "I'm not afraid of you." Her mind was faltering more and more. Things began to fade in and out, but she never showed it.

His eyes locked onto hers once more. "Show me the fury behind the mask!"

She fought the urge to smash his head in the wall like a melon. The more she resisted, the more her mind felt like a frappe. She concentrated on getting her next words out. "Tell me now." Her mind was reeling now...everything was felt like it was falling

She was turning. He felt his invisible bonds loosen to nonexistence, he kicked her away from him. She was being overtaken and he liked it. He ran over to her, and picked her head up. She couldn't concentrate. "You think you're so damn high and mighty! Look around you dear goddess!" he spat at her. Her body was feeling weak. Her head dropped quickly. "Look over there...dammit!" Klefton lifted her head up roughly. "I said look! It's Black Rose's weaknesses." He dropped her head. "Look at you. You weak, sniveling, sorry excuse of a-" with every bit of concentration in her, she shot electricity into him, sending him flying across the room. She heard his screams echo once more.

Her powers were beginning to penetrate the suit. Damn it, if she was this strong and her mind was not completely taken . . . the possibilities were endless.

Staggering to her feet, she said weakly, "N-now what! D-don't call m-me w-weak." The electricity stopped. She was beginning to become dizzy...what was happening?

Spider Man was free! He staggered to Mr. Morris, undoing the tape swiftly. Once he was completely free, Spider Man turned his attention to the box that held them prisoner. With a swift kick, his foot slammed into the side of it, causing it to shatter in the side and cracks of electricity spewed from its innards. Holding up Mr. Morris, he asked quickly, "Sir? Sir, are you alright?" He looked okay, but he was still weak from what ever it was that was shot in him. Placing him in a corner, he sat him up and left him to help his partner. 

Klefton had stood up once more and looked at her fallen form. She was being taken over...she had the symptoms for a while now. He had wondered why it hadn't work completely yet."The power...don't you feel it? Don't you wish you could conquer it? But you can't! You can't ever conquer it...conform child...DO IT!"

Everything began to swirl together. Her head was pounding loudly inside her ears as she struggled for self control. The air began to become thin and her breathing labored. She was fighting something, something she had no power over, but she was fighting anyway. Opening her mouth slowly, she choked out, "T-the aa-ir..can't-can't bre-bre-"

"Yes... stop fighting it!" Just then Spider Man kicked the man from behind. Seeing this guy fly forward brought Spider Man some pleasure. He ran toward him and straddled him. Spider Man promptly began to swing his arms in the man's face. One after one, he punched the man relentlessly. He had control over every single one of those punches. Gathering the strength he had, Klefton rolled backwards, sending his feet in the air which in turn sent Spider Man flying off of him. "Back away boy, you have no idea who you're dealing with. You'll soon be with us also. Wait your turn!"

Black Rose ripped her mask off. For the life of her, she couldn't get enough oxygen. It felt as though darkness was consuming her. Her anger was rising and rising. It felt like it would lead her to spontaneous combustion if it didn't stop. It was like a fever that kept rising and rising. She concentrated as hard as she could. And then, it stopped rising.

Spider Man ran to her side and tried to hold her gasping form. Her eyes were shut, but he recognized her face in the moonlight. He nearly passed out when he saw her face. "Kristi..." was all he whispered.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Spider Man looking at her just as the pain was beginning to subside. It was going away finally. Her breathing was still labored.

Klefton saw what was happening... "No...no! Come to me now!"

She sat up part of the way in Spider Man's arms, getting out a "No." Just then, the ceiling crashed in, pouring shards of glass everywhere. Spider Man covered her form with his arms quickly as glass rained down on them. Looking up, she saw a tall dark figure on a glider come from the sky. The first thought in her head was the angel of death..."Who are...y-you?"

"The one who will soon be in control of both of you."

Spider Man stood up in front of her in his way of protecting her. "No."

"You can come with us now and make this painless, or I swear on everything near and dear to you will crumble from beneath your feet and snatched from your grasps! Do you hear me down there! I swear that everything you love will be taken from you. You will pay if you deny me now."

She was still on all fours when she saved enough breath to spit out, "Go to hell."

His lips curved into a smile. "So be it. Fair warning, a worthy opponent I am . . . you have chosen your sides, Be prepared to face the consequences!" Just then, the figure, threw a disk down into the building. In four seconds, large laser beams shot from it, illuminating the room, setting various objects on fire.

Spider Man picked her up. "Can you stand? We gotta get out of here."

"I-I'll be fine." Her breath was coming back to her now. They went to Mr. Morris as one of the beams fell to the ground, causing the wooden floor to crack and send splinters of wood into the air. The floor beneath them fell at a slant to the lower section of the building, causing them to tumble down into its depths. Fire began to envelop the remaining upper level, burning its way downward.

Getting up, Spider Man took Mr. Morris and attempted to run with him out of the building. He turned around quickly he realized Kristi wasn't with him. He saw her struggling with her leg. Something was clamped down on it. He began to run back for her, when the fire began to fall through the remaining ceiling. Dust and embers began to fall on him. 

Kristi struggled to pull her leg out of the snare she was caught in. When she saw Spider Man coming she waved him back. "Get Mr. Morris out of here!"

"But you-"

"I'll use my mind, get him out of here!" She attempted to move the massive wood from her leg with her mind. But it didn't work. It must have been so weakened by whatever they put in her, that she couldn't work now. "Oh no..." she mumbled . . . She attempted to pull her leg from underneath it but was met with pain. If she kept pulling, she would pull her leg right out of place. Shooting some webbing to a pipe that was still standing, she attempted to pull herself up, while trying to bend her knees so she could stand up. She tried once . . . it didn't work. She tired once more . . . it didn't work. Giving one final tug, she lifted herself up. Grabbing her leg in pain, she made her way to the exit. Her spider sense went off. When she looked around, she saw a gas tank, then she began to run.

Spider Man ran with Mr Morris far enough away on a pier to be safe from the fire. He turned around in time to see a figure jump quickly from the building as it exploded into flames. The figure got up slowly and attempted to run toward them. She dropped to her knees in front of them out of breath. Spider Man went to her and grabbed her in an embrace. His glove moved across her face. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

She swallowed hard before saying with a sigh, "I-I'm fine." She turned to Mr Morris's elder form. Helping to pick him up, she turned to him, giving him a hug. She could feel the tears beginning to burn in her eyes. "Mr. Morris . . . I-I'm sorry. I didn't know I would be the cause of this happening to you."

He shook his head, while he patted her back. "No child, they were asking me for the names of people who had been experimented on with the spiders. They apparently thought that we were using people with the spiders. I denied it and the next thing I knew, I saw you two on the security camera, trying to tell you to run. Then I blacked out."

She pulled her head back to look at him. "I'm so, so sorry. Please believe me."

"It wasn't your fault! But Kristi..." he eyed her outfit. "What happened?"

"Long story short, along came a spider..."

He was about to ask more questions, but stopped when he heard sirens coming. "You better run children, the sirens are coming."

She gave him a quick hug, "Are you o-"

"I will be...go!" She squeezed his hand before she and Spider Man began to run to the nearest building. When the police and fire trucks came, The two were hidden in the shadows. Getting onto the safety of a building a top, Spider Man handed her back her mask that he had tucked in his suit. 

Kristi took her glove off and ran hand across his face, down to his neck. Reaching for the mask, she pulled it up slowly. She saw Peter's blue eyes staring back at her with shock. She ran a hand over his face.

His cheek leaned against her warm hand. He shut eyes tightly, grabbing her hand as he kept it against his cheek. He reopened his eyes and peered at her brown ones. "Kristi...why didn't you tell me? " His hands moved to her shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to . . . that night, in your room, but you wouldn't let me. I whispered it to you, but I didn't know if you'd remember. Then I went looking for you, but your Aunt May said you wanted time alone and that you would be back soon. I wanted tell you..."

His eyes took on a vague look. "Your project with the institute, the one you could tell no one about..."

"Working with the super spiders."

"That night when I called you-"

She nodded her head knowingly. "I was bitten."

He shut his eyes tightly and pulled her in for a hug. "Kris . . . I should have been there when you needed me . . . I'm sorry."

"No . . . I would have hidden it from you anyway."

He pulled away from her for a moment to look into her eyes. "Kristi, that day on the beach-"

She nodded her head. "I understand now Peter . . . I understand. I wish you would have to come me..."

"My biggest fear was you getting hurt because of me. I couldn't. I had to go after I was de-masked. I knew I could trust 'Black Rose' but I . . . I needed some time away from things." He hugged her once more. "God, this whole time it was you.You don't know how happy I am." A smile spread across his face. "Because of my fear . . . I was going to push you away and hope you'd lose interest or something. Now...since you can fight by yourself-"

She smiled at him. "And kick ass."

He chuckled at her. "That too . . . I don't have to worry about that fear coming back. You must understand, I want this to work." He reached for her hands. "I want us to work. You just don't know how much you mean to me. I'm more than willing to try, if you are."

"Of course."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Now . . . whoever this is doesn't know who we are from the looks of it. They never saw your face or mine."

"If they should happen to find out who one of us is, if we should somehow feel that this relationship is damaging to someone else close to us, or our alter egos, what would we do?"

He knew what she was talking about. "I don't want to think about that now. I'm not trying to think of this being over before it really starts. From the looks of the things . . . it already had been starting for a while." He smiled again and pulled her in an embrace.

..............................................

Inconnu paced around in anger. "You damn fools! I gave my orders for you to wait for my command to commence with the plan and now look at what you've done! You've probably ruined everything!" He turned his glare to the doctor. "And you! How dare you give orders to my employees posing as me! How thick headed are you! If I wasn't a calm man, I'd ring your neck out right now. Be glad I saved your damn hide. Get out of my presence." The doctor and Klefton walked out shamed.

The only person left in there was a scientist. "What shall we do now, sire?"

He sighed hard. "Well . . . this Spider Man fellow is who, Peter Parker you said?"

"Yes sir."

"Well make sure you keep that information strictly between you and me. A romantic relationship has spawned between them, am I right?"

"That is what we believe sir."

"They can be conquered separately, but together, well . . . even I wouldn't bet on it. We must do something to split them. Why don't we let the relationship build some? Then we'll tear it down with one big blow, leaving them both miserable and vulnerable. There's nothing better than playing surgeon on a broken heart. What's the report on the serum?"

"Sir, we've been set back for an indefinite amount of time. The doctor took the serum and used it on the two. He also took vital information for the serum and their application. It was destroyed in the building. We must replicate everything now."

"Why don't you have copy?'

"Well, you said to leave only one bit of evidence that could be easily destroyed...that was it. We still have some research, but-"

He shook his head angrily. "So you're saying we're back to square one."

The scientist trembled a bit. He hated being in this man's presence when he was upset. "Not necessarily sir. We can have it ready in about a week. Two weeks tops. We still have our observations. That is probably one of the most vital parts."

"Well...we'll leave the love birds alone for a while. Make them feel secure and then we'll strike. I'm a patient man...yes...we'll leave the birds alone to roost and then...it'll be to the slaughter house...."

A considerable amount of time had passed since the incident at the warehouse. The doctor was going certifiably crazy. Inconnu "punished" him by not letting him in on how he would turn them. DeMarquise's blood if possible, should have bubbled through his skin from pure anger. How dare Inconnu act like God?! True, he was the heads of this venture, but his patience had been running thin since he reprimanded him in his office not too long ago. 

DeMarquise was pacing inside his room mumbling obscenities to himself. His servant came in and nodded toward. "What's your plan doctor?"

He slammed his fist down on the wooden desk. "Damn Inconnu! He waits too long doing things. It's just not ethical! I want the spider now!"

"What do you plan to do?"

"Well . . . I've received word that the plan is to split them in order to take them. Divide and conquer. If we are going to act, we need to do it now. We'll hit home with little miss Devun. She has a mother with cancer in remission . . . how about we bring in a nice little reoccurrence?"

"But sir-"

"The way I figure it, she'll be overwhelmed with grief. We'll also let it leak out the source of the reoccurrence. Not only will she feel grief, but also guilt! It's wonderful. She'll push people away, be disoriented and distant!" He began to giggle loudly. "It will be absolutely delicious!" Going to a more serious tone, he said, "Death must happen quickly, so sudden, that no one would detect it until it was too late. We could easily form a doctor who is a 'specialist' in the field to keep an eye on her." He licked his lips eagerly. Rubbing his hand together, he said, "We have limited people . . . it must be only one or two people who we can trust to research this on spare time . . . this research must go unnoticed. Get someone on the outside to research this. When all information needed is gathered, get your people will working on its construction."

Knowing how impatient his boss was, he said quickly, "This is going to take some time. It's very hard to get a hold of the materials that I' m almost sure that we will need."

"Spare me the mumbo jumbo. Just get it done. I want you to spend time on this. I want it 100% fool proof. The margin for error on this must be zero. I want this so badly, even I'm willing to spend some time to get it. Get you people working on it right away, but keep it under wraps..."

He nodded his head. "Yes sir." He left the room quickly, and attended to his duties.

DeMarquise walked around with a grin on his face. Victory was almost here . . . he could taste it on the very tips of his tongue. The bitter sweetness of an assured victory would be enough to tie him over for a very long time. This was perfect. Even Inconnu would have to give him respect on this. He didn't have the resources needed to convert them on his own, but if Inconnu knew that it had worked and that he had given him his precious Kristina on a silver platter . . . he would be more than willing to reward him handsomely. "Yes...this is going to do just nicely..."

  
  
  
  


Note: Okay...here ya go! Chapter 11 I'm thinking is going to be out next Thursday I'm guessing because I have to go to a workshop on Monday and won't get back until Wednesday. I may try to crank it out Sunday, so please bear with me. Apology to all M.J. lovers out there, sorry if I made her out to be bad, but I'm hoping that maybe this chapter will redeem myself somewhat. Anyway...au revoir! Don't forget to review please!"


	11. Chapter Eleven

A small sense of invincibility followed Kristina and Peter wherever they went, along with insecurity and a heightened thrill of the "I know something you don't know" mentality. Though Peter and Kristina were open within each other and their relationship, they hadn't made a big deal about it...no big dates, not too many special evenings together...it was as though they were good friends. Though, even when they would occasionally hold hands, something triggered inside both of them, a sense joy and happiness.  Klefton and the doctor's mysterious employer, which left them both on the edge, had left no kind of warning.  Absence of conflict was one thing, but absence of acknowledgment and perceiving an enemy's next move was another.  The longer they were together, left them molded more into a secure surrounding then the always violent anticipations of the world they were in.  
  


Peter had saved enough money to move out of he and Harry's old apartment and into a smaller one, one that fit his tastes a lot more than the previous one.  Harry had left all of the furniture they had bought together to Peter.  With out the expense of furniture, things were even smoother for him.  Things seemed to be getting better and better for him.  Not only was he out and about not existing alone, but living and not living alone.  He always had Aunt May, Harry, and even M.J., but now, he had somebody.  He could live and be happy.  He could watch TV, see the couples happy with each other, and smile to himself, because for once, he felt a part of they were feeling, even though what they had may have been false, he knew his wasn't.  That made him feel like he could float.

Kristi never did get called back about the super spider project.  She could smile at herself in the mirror and say confidently that she didn't care.  She never wanted to give up on things, but this wasn't accepting a defeat, it was an acceptance of something else. Perhaps she edged on her quicker maturity and seriousness about things because of this project, but she wouldn't allow herself to do so again.  She had been so closed up and unwilling to share herself except when she felt truly and completely comfortably.  With the project gone, she could sigh and not worry that there is something behind something as simple as a sigh when there wasn't.  She allowed herself to feel for people, to feel for Peter, to feel for all the things around her….she felt free.

Time had no boundary and lacked existence to them each day they were together.  They took their time with each other.  There was never anything too mushy; no overpowering, uncontrollable surges of sickening emotions every reached them.  Part of it could attest to the fact they neither Peter nor Kristi had ever been in a serious relationship or a relationship period. So foreign were the feelings between them that time was something that needed to be on their side.  So many feelings were being discovered and explored each time their eyes landed on each other.  They could find comfort, happiness, and many other things that made the world a little more bearable in the mist of hostility.

The relationship had left them a small bit of solace in the chaos the world offered them.  At the end of the day, there was always the thought that they would have each other…that it would be enough.  Of course, an unspoken thought plagued them: What if their mysterious enemy came to surface with something that would harm not only their day lives, but the people affiliated with them?  Kristi and Peter were both left under the security that their identities remained a secret, but the two hoped that with a tone downed relationship, and with them both being more outgoing and forging stronger bridges with those around them, then, should they be found out, no innocent would suffer. 

Even with such reasoning, fear was a controlling factor, and such a strong factor it was….

DeMarquise took his time with his plan, as foreign as time was to him.  He had stopped counting the weeks and fed off of the thought of Spider Man being miserable without his playmate, Inconnu receiving his prize and finally being able to reek the havoc that he had missed doing for so long it seemed.  Research had already been completed and the drug was already deep within its own stages.  Time, for DeMarquise, would just not go fast enough.

Inconnu had the patience that would make Buddha jealous.  He would spend his time reading, constantly getting updates on how the current serum was going.  Though the previous work had been destroyed, it was replicated quickly.  The serum would undergo many tasks and tests before it could be classified safe for humans.  Inconnu, being a man for challenge, began tests of his own.  He was all too well in tuned with how the human brain worked, how things were triggered, even how the human thought is influenced to think certain things.  To pass the time, he began to dab in his own studies, inventing his own machine to be used in, of course, manipulation and ultimately pain.  This of course, would be used at a later date, perhaps a date in which it would be used in "persuasion"….

……………………………………..

Nina Devun was having her fourth headache of the week when she sat down in her leather seat.  She sighed heavily as she looked to the Tylenol bottle that was now empty.  Her headache kept coming constantly and it was only 11:30.  She placed her tired elbows onto her oak desk that had scattered legal documents on it.  Rubbing her temples deeply, she shut her eyes, praying that for once, maybe blocking out her surroundings, would block out the deep pounding that lay inside her head.  

Her thoughts fell back to the happenings of the past two weeks.  Her headaches came abruptly, some so painful that she had to leave work and go home to rest.  She went to the doctor to get checked out, yet he saw nothing amiss.  Ever since that Tamier's case, everything was so stressful.  Extremely long hours, sometimes 20-hour days.  She wanted the case though…she wanted the challenge, whether she was a partner or not.

Her head, pounding incessantly, began to pound more within her head.  Shutting off all thoughts of the case, she opened her eyes slowly; at least she thought she opened her eyes.  Everything was black in her left eye, yet she could feel her eyelids blinking. This wasn't strange to her now. Within the past two to three days, she felt so weak, yet she didn't complain.  There were some times that her left arm would fall limp.  She would be holding her brief case when suddenly she would hear it thud next to her.  She wouldn't have realized that she had dropped it if not for the sound it made as it hit the ground.   She read somewhere that stress could do the funniest things.  It could invoke fever, numbness and undoubtedly weakness. Headaches were symptoms also, but this was becoming unbearable.  Her head felt as though it were on the brink of being smashed.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head against her clammy palm and shut her eyes tighter.  She was sweating, yet she was cold.  The sweltering end of July heat was exploding outside, but she should not have been sweating within the confinements of the air-conditioned building.    

She tried to access her surroundings, but found the task futile. Funny….she wasn't aware of much. Her breathing was becoming labored as she began to black in and out.  Was she having a stroke?  The first signs were numbness, but never blindness of one eye.  The first thing she needed to do was not panic. Quickened breathing would only lead to nothing that could help her at this point.

With her right hand, she reached slowly for her buzzing button before she fell unconscious in her chair. 

Kari knocked swiftly on the oak door.  "Mrs. Devun?"  She turned the knob slowly and peered through the newly opened door.  "Mrs. Devun?"  She glimpsed toward the woman who sat slumped in her chair, right hand over the phone, left hand dangling lifelessly over the sides of the chair.  It was then that the red headed receptionist yelled for help….

"Here is your dress and thanks for shopping at The Evening Gown.  I hope your party is a success," Kristi said as she waved toward a short blond girl.  Kristi made a small yawn as she glimpsed to her digital watch.  It read: 1:24.  She was waiting for Amy to get back from her lunch break so she could go on hers.  She and Peter had planned to go to lunch that day.  She was going to meet him at the Daily Bugle and play it by ear from there. 

Hearing someone from the back, she turned around to Amy rushing toward her.  Smiling quickly, she said, "Please, you don't have to show such enthusiasm coming back to work.  It's only 1:25, you've got five more minutes."  Amy wasn't smiling at all, in fact, she looked pale and visibly shaken.  She reached out for her arm. "Amy…what's wrong?  Are you okay?"

Amy's hazel eyes blinked for a moment before she opened her mouth to answer.  "Kristi….i-it's your mom."

Kristi's stomach began to sink quickly as soon as the words left her mouth.  "What about my mother?"

"Sh-she's in the hospital."

"Where?"

"Regency Memorial." Kristi stood there for a moment before she bolted toward the door.  Thousands of thoughts flooded to her mind.  Falling downstairs, a car wreck, her cancer…Hailing a cab quickly, she went to the hospital.

Peter waited outside the newspaper building for twenty minutes before doubt appeared in his head.  His mind would tell him that it was lunch break and it was New York after all, but her building was ten minutes away…at the most. If something had happened, she would have called, right?  Or maybe she got swamped by work.  She always did say how lines of people would come in, all in the same party, looking for a party dress or designs for wedding parties.

Sighing, he looked to his watch once more.  It was already two o'clock.  Maybe she called to cancel upstairs.  He left his bench to go back to his floor.  He hadn't received any calls.  Furrowing in his eyebrow, he called her store.  No answer.  He shrugged his shoulders.  'Must be really busy,' he thought.  He felt a little disappointed by it though.  As corny and as bad as he may sound to himself, he couldn't deny it; he missed her.  He was looking forward to seeing her.  'I'll have tonight,' he thought as he bought a sandwich from the vending machine.  Yeah…he'd have tonight.

Once Kristi reached the hospital, she threw her money at the cabdriver and ran to the front desk. There was no one there.  She drummed her fingers angrily.  How can there be a hospital with no one at the front desk!

She looked around quickly as she saw her mother's doctor, John Tate, walk of the elevator in green scrubs and a facemask tied around his neck.  "Dr. Tate!"  Kristi rushed toward him.

He looked up quickly to Kristi's worried face.  Tiredly, he sighed, "Kristi."

"Where is my mother?"

"She in her room now."

"Take me to her, please?"

"Certainly."  He walked her slowly to the elevator.  Once on there, he prepared himself for an assault of questions that he knew would be coming his way.  Strangely, they never came.

The elevator took forever. Dr. Tate was here…he was a specialist in cancers.  God, what if he found something?  Her mother had been adamant about her visits and every single one she got a clean bill of health.  What was going on now? Her mother knows when to see a doctor about something, so why didn't she?  Why didn't she tell her?  She could have been there for her, been with her.  All of these questions, she withheld.  Spitting them out would do her no good now.  Her foot tapped incessantly on the tile floor until they reached the ninth floor. 

Dr. Tate escorted her to her mother's room.  It amazed Kristi.  She was in such a hurry to get there that once she got there, she was hesitant to go in.  Pushing slowly on the door, she peered into the room.

It was small.  It had a rocking chair and a green chair in the corner. The room had a bright tone to it, yet there was nothing bright about it. A flower printed curtain hid the bed. Kristi walked slowly toward the beeping near the bed.  Taking a deep breath, she pulled the curtain back, almost stepping back in shock.  There her mother lay, her skin a deathly shade of white, her eyes shut peacefully.  Her head was wrapped with a white bandage, a blood stain on the right side of it.  Her body seemed so much smaller…so much more helpless.  Kristi's bottom lip began to tremble quickly as tears began to spring from her eyes. She watched in silence as her mother's chest rose up and down slowly with a mask attached to her mouth.

Kristi turned her eyes swiftly to the doctor.  Not even aware of the liquid falling from her eyes, she trembled softly, "Wh-what happened?"

Dr. Tate looked down at the tile floor, trying to sum his words up correctly.  When he looked back at her, he couldn't say it while looking at her.  Her tears were falling effortlessly, still Kristi kept her head and back stiff, attempting to show no emotion. Her tears betrayed her.

Looking back down he said softly, "While she was at work, she passed out.  When she was brought here, we learned that s-she h-had-" he stopped himself when he found himself faltering.  Swallowing hard, he continued.  "We learned a tumor had formed in and near her brain."

Kristi's began to breath slowly as she sniffled slightly.  "How is she?"

"We had to go into emergency surgery.  Her head was being filled with spinal fluid, which resulted in her blacking out."

Kristi could feel anger rising in her.  Though she knew the doctor was not to blame, it had to go somewhere. "How…is…she?"

"We won't know until she wakes up."

"How long will that take?"

"A matter of hours. She's been out for about three…maybe three or four more.  Maybe five."

Kristi nodded her head slowly as she turned her gaze back to her mother.  She looked so peaceful, a lot more peaceful than she had been in a while.  Her shaky hand felt for her mother's paler one.  Stroking it she said softly, "I'm here mom..."  She wiped away the tearstains on her face, before she whispered again. "I'm here."  She positioned herself on the bed and laid down next to her. She looked to the doctor for any sign of argue.  When he gave none, she gave her mother a slow kiss on the cheek. She then placed her head on her shoulder like she had done so many times in the past and stayed there.

A nurse came by Nina's room, causing Kristi to stir from her slumber.  The nurse smiled down at her.  Whispering, she said, "I'm just changing the I.V. bag."  Kristi nodded her head numbly as she looked back to her mother's face.  Her eyes were still closed, breathing in deeply.  Kristi looked to the clock as it just struck 6:01.  Kristi had woken up in between hours, looking to see if she was awake, if she had moved, or if Kristi herself had been laying on one of the wires.  Kristi laid her head back down onto her, reaching over her chest to stroke her arm.

Nina's eyes opened slowly about an hour later and looked around.  Her head still hurt and her neck was difficult to move.  Looking downward, she saw Kristi laying by her. Moving her arm slowly, she touched Kristi's sleeping one.  "Bebe…" she said from behind the oxygen mask.  Kristi stirred.  "Bebe…" she moved her arm up Kristi's head and began to stroke her hair.  She felt Kristi's body shift as Kristi peered upward. She almost wanted to cry when she saw the tearstains and the red-rimmed eyes.  Taking off the oxygen mask, Nina smiled to her daughter as a sign of reassurance.  Patting her back, she laid Kristi's head back down, and held her with her arm.

Another hour had passed before either one of them spoke up.  "Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"How are you feeling?"

"A little on the groggy side.  I haven't eaten anything in a while and you know how cranky I get when I skip meals."  To be quite frank, she wasn't feeling too well.  Her head was throbbing and it itched.  When she reached up to scratch it, she felt the white bandage and figured it not to be a good idea. 

Kristi sighed at her mother's attempt at humor.  "Mom…."

Her hazel eyes widened. "What?  It's a fact."

"Be real with me."

Sighing, she continued. "Well…I'm feeling better than I did earlier today…is today still Wednesday?"

Kristi cringed for a moment. "Yes."

"Then yeah…earlier today." Kristi sat up and peered at her mother. She did seem to have more color to skin, not nearly as deathly as earlier.  Her warm hazel eyes looked at Kristi with interest.  

Seeing her shake some, Kristi asked immediately, "Are you cold?"

"I don't want to say yeah cause then you'll look at me like a nut since it's almost August."

She made a small smile while speaking in a warning tone. "Mom…."

She shrugged her limp shoulders. "A little.  That was just a chill or something."  

Kristi placed her hand over her forehead.  She did feel warm…a little too warm.  "Hold on a sec."  Kristi got up and walked out of the room.  Looking for the nurse that changed the I.V., she walked to the nurses' station and waited for one of the nurses.  When one was free, she asked quickly, "Can I get an extra blanket and someone to check my mother's temperature please?"

"Sure.  Hold on."  The mid-sixties woman made her way to a utility closet, pulling out a light blue blanket.  Following Kristi back to her mother's room, she removed her standard thermometer and took her temperature.  She shook her head slightly.  "102.3. Kind of high for an adult.  Hold on, I'll get a doctor."

"Can she take anything?"

"Well…I can't give her anything without the doctor's orders.  We may be able to sweat some of it down."  Giving her the blanket, she said, "Let me go find the doctor on duty."

"Could you get Dr. Tate?"

"Sure thing deary."

Kristi pulled up the rocking chair and placed it near the bed.  She patted her mother's hand assuringly as she attempted to smile, failing miserably.  Looking around impatiently, she said quickly, "I'll be back."

Walking out of the room, she ran into the elderly woman again. "Have you contacted Dr. Tate yet?"

"He's not on duty right now."

"Thanks anyway." Kristi looked around quickly before glimpsing at her watch again.  It read 8:23.  Her mind went to Peter. She was supposed to have lunch with him and she hadn't called to cancel or anything.  He'd understand though.  She looked around for a payphone and dialed his number quickly.

"Hi."

A smile came her lips. It was amazing, just hearing his voice made her smile.  "Peter hey-"

"I'm not home right now, so after the beep, leave a message and I'll be sure to get back to you soon. Bye!"

Beeeeep. Kristi took a deep breath. "Peter…hey, its Kris.  I was calling to apologize about today.  I…I got word that my mom was admitted into Regency Memorial and I wasn't thinking about anything else.  I probably won't be home tonight or be able to DO anything else until I know more about her.  Things are looking somewhat serious….  I'll call you tomorrow with more details.  I'm sorry." She sighed heavily before she hung up the phone.  It felt good to hear his voice…even on the recorder.

Peter swung around New York.  He was getting worried. He hadn't seen or heard from Kristi. It wasn't as though he didn't think she could take care of herself, but the fact was that she didn't cancel lunch and wasn't out tonight, or at least he hadn't seen her.  It was well past one when he got back to his apartment. There wasn't much going on crime wise, so he came in early.  

He tore his mask off with a sigh.  Taking off his red top, he played his phone messages: one from Aunt May, two from Harry, and one from Kristi. Hearing her message, he felt relieved, but also saddened.  Why was he relieved that her mother was in the hospital he argued with himself.  He was just happy that she was alright, but what about her mother?  Something crept into his head.  This obviously wasn't a good thing, but something else nagged at him about it. He just couldn't figure it out.

Kristi stayed at the hospital all night with her mother.  She woke up at eight to the sounds of the nurse moving things around, preparing her mother for her departure to get x-rays.  Kristi looked down at her rumpled clothes and stifled a yawn.  She figured that she could get to her home in 15 minutes, take a shower in ten, and be back in 15. Giving her mother a quick peck on the cheek, she left for her apartment.

Once she got there, she called in to work and told them she wouldn't be able to come in for that day and maybe not the next couple of days.  They were more than happy to oblige her.  Kristi made it back to the hospital at nine.  Her mother  had been ushered in and out of her room all morning for x-rays, blood tests and loads of other things.  By the time she came back and stayed there for a while, it was past twelve. Settling in her bed, she flipped the TV to Bold and Beautiful. Turning to her daughter she said with a small smile, "I've been waiting to talk to you for the past three hours.  What was I going to say?"  She placed a hand to her chin before snapping her fingers. "I remember now!  Hey Bebe."

She smiled at her mother's sarcasm. "How are you?"

"Don't I at least get a hey first?  All the running around they made me do, I think I deserve it."

Kristi rolled her brown eyes at her mother playfully.  "Hey mom. How are you?"

"Well…they fed me some sort of yogurt stuff. Look in that bowl."  She pointed to the plastic carton.  "How would you feel after eating…." She glimpsed at the label, "Reduced fat, three calorie mango sherbet yogurt. It's made without dairy products. How can that even exist?"  She shrugged her shoulders before taking another spoonful.  Hinting toward the cup, she said, "You want the rest?"

Kristi shook her slowly. Leaning back in the chair, she rested her hand onto her stomach. "No thanks."

Nina looked around her tray.  "How about some purple grapes? They aren't too bad."

"I'm not hungry."

"When did you last eat?"

Kristi thought about it for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.  She knew better than to tell her mother she hadn't eaten something.  That was something equivalent to suicide. "I don't know."

A dark brow rose. "You better know.  Now tell me, when did you last eat?"

"In the morning."

"Okay…I was the one who taught you how to half tell the truth to your father and you're gonna try it on me?  No dear, that's not gonna fly. Your last meal was yesterday?"

She could hear it coming now.  Even from a hospital bed, she could find something to complain about.  "I'm fine."

"Running on empty is not fine.  Sweets, you've been up for who knows how long, and you didn't get much sleep.  I could hear you.  Why don't you get some coffee or something?"

Kristi stifled a yawn. "I'm fine."

"You need coffee and something to eat.  I don't want you bunking next to me because of malnourishment."

"Mom…."

"Kristina Marie…"

"I don't want to leave. You just got in here and are actually staying here and now you're kicking me out."

"Go dear…"

"Do you want-"

"What I want is for you to go get something to eat.  Go get a sandwich or something.  I'll be here when you get back back."  Nina shook her head quickly.  She had never repeated herself before.

"The way you've been going in and out of here, I wonder."

"I'll kick and scream before I let them take me out of here with out you being b-back."  She stuttered this time.  She looked up quickly to watch Brooke and Sheila face off.

Kristi eyed her carefully. Had she just stuttered?  She never did that before.  She got up and walked to the door in search of a vending machine.

Peter had a sandwich before he came to the hospital.  He stopped in a florist shop and picked up some pale pink carnations and a hybrid tea red rose.  Finding the right room, he knocked softly on the door.  He didn't like hospitals.  They frightened him slightly and were a reminder…

"Come in," was what he heard on the other side of the door.  Opening it slowly, he peered in.  He saw a woman look down from the TV with a bright grin.  "Peter!  Well hello there."

He gave her a small smile. "Hi Mrs. Devun."  He brought the pale pink carnations to her nervously. "I got these for you."  He shifted in his stance while he stood there. 

She took the carnations and held them up to her nose.  Inhaling deeply, she said happily, "Oh they smell heavenly.  What a thoughtful man you are."  He blushed at the comment.  He stood awkwardly near the bed, but not by it.  She signaled to the chair by the bed.  "Come on!  You can sit.  I promise, whatever it is I've got, it isn't contagious.  Besides, I don't bite or anything so you won't get rabies.  Watching you stand up makes me feel like I'm on display or something."

Sitting down in the seat, he said quickly, "That wasn't my intention at all."

She chuckled softly. "I know it wasn't.  I can tell you must not like hospitals too much huh?"

He glimpsed at the white washed walls.  "Yeah….I guess I have a phobia of them."

"Well that's okay.  I don't like them that much either."  She nodded her head toward her tray.  "The food isn't five star quality, but eh, its food, I guess."

He smiled again. "Yeah…it is."  He still held the rose between his thumb and index finger. "Is Kristi here?"

Nina's voice rose a decibel in false anger. "Oh I see how it is.  You come in here, woo me with flowers and then shoot me down by asking for my daughter."  She shook her head at him before looking at her flowers once more.

"I didn't mean-" he began to apologize, but stopped when he saw the big grin on her lips.  He was always nervous about making a good impression on her

She reached over and patted his hand. "Smile!  Lighten up! It's not that bad in here, I promise. But to answer your question, she is. I sent her out to get some food. The girl hadn't eaten since yesterday morning!  I thought I taught her to eat three meals a day.  But hey, to pass the time until she gets back, you can stay in here with me. After all, I am the best next thing…being her mother and all."

He always liked being her presence.  She had such a happy personality that it rubbed off on you.  He smiled again.  "Okay."

Shifting in her bed, she asked, "So Peter, you're a photographer, right?"

He nodded his head. "Yes ma'am."

"The Daily Bugle, right?"

"Yes ma'am."

Her face scrunched up. "AH…I don't like them much.  I had to deal with a prenuptial agreement with the owner….Jameson?  Unbearable man…" She shrugged the memory away.  "Anyway, a newspaper is a newspaper.  I normally read it to see the pictures of Spider Man and read the story they have about him."

Peter sunk in his chair some.  "You buy the newspaper to read that?"

"When they have Spider Man on there, its turned into a tabloid.  I think its hilarious how they tell bull faced lies about him."  Peter relaxed in his chair.  "I saw him in action once.  Unbelievable.  But yeah, who takes those?"

He blushed a little before answering.  "I do."

She widened her eyes in excitement.  "What! You do?  They are wonderful."

He shrugged his shoulders modestly.  "Well, they aren't a Pulitzer Prize winner, but they're good enough."

"Well that's wonderful. If yo u ever see Spider Man, tell him that when I get out of here, I'd be more than happy to be his counsel. I'd sue the pants of Jameson for slander.  It would be more of a vendetta to me than him maybe, but hey, everybody wins!"

"I don't think he'd be too happy about going into a courtroom," Peter said as he looked down at the rose as he rolled it between his fingers.  Him sue Jameson?  That would be great.  He could see the headlines now, "Battle of human rights for the Arachnid Spider Man." That would be great…"

"Well it's not that hard to get some paperwork drawn up to protect him.  He's not on trial, Jameson would be."  She smiled to herself at the thought of putting Jameson behind bars. He kicked up so much sand about that agreement…he was for sure the reason of one of the few gray hairs in her head.  "But anyway, back to your photography.  What are some of your other works?"

Other works?  No one really asked him that before.  He cleared his throat softly before beginning. Relaxing into the seat, he leaned back when he spoke.  "Well, I took some pictures of the Jazz festival in Central Park."

An eyebrow rose. "You got Sal 'the sax' Samson to pose for you?  That was you?"

He rubbed a hand over his neck.  "Well, yeah."  He gave a small smile when he saw her face brighten. Holding his head up, he said quickly, "He's really nice.  He wouldn't pose for many people because they were so demanding and kinda mean about it.  I went up to him and asked him. One thing he did though before he took the picture was have a conversation with me.  He called me an 'artist'.  He really was nice about it."

With a dropped jaw, she outstretched her hand.  "May I shake your hand?"  She shook it in the air until he took it. 

Taking it, he said with a chuckle, "I take it you're a fan?"

"Oh I love his sound! You don't hear much about him, but he's a legend!  He does the old school jazz….not any of this modern phony sounding jazz.  There are some good modern jazz artists out there, I'll give them that, but not many.  Do you like jazz?"  If he did, that would be the icing on the cake for her.

"I like a little. I'm not into a lot of it, but I know some of the classics.  Miles Davis and Duke Ellington.  They have good stuff."

Yeah, she loved this boy. She pretended to faint in onto her pillow.  "Can I adopt you?"

His voice vibrated with gently laughter.  "Fan of them too?"

She hit her head softly. "Oy!  In the worse kind of way way."  She shook her head once more.  Why were her words doubling?  Pushing that aside, they began an in depth conversation about the rise and fall of jazz. Nina, of course, led the conversation. "Okay…now that we've gotten to know each other a little better, let me ask you something.  Tell me if I'm being too nosy."

He had a confused look on his face.  "Um…okay."

"Now seriously, you gotta tell me if I'm being nosy, cause you seem like the type who wouldn't want to tell me."  Snapping her fingers together, she said quickly, "How about this, don't answer, and I'll take the hint, okay?"

"Okay."

"Okay….how do you feel about Kristi?"  Wow…she was blunt. When she saw him blush, she said quickly,  "Aww!  You have rouji!  Alò bèl!  You like her a lot huh?"

Her, Kristi, and that Creole!  He could only guess it was something good. "Yes ma'am."

"Hmm, well, how do you feel though?"

"Um….I can't really say."

She was hoping she would get some dirt out of him.  She wasn't really using him….just retrieving information from him.  There was nothing wrong with that. "Well if you want to keep it to yourself, you can."

Peter wasn't quite sure how to answer that question.  To just say yes would be an understatement.  It wasn't a common thing for him to experience happiness with someone else romantically.  So, he just nodded his head simply.  "No, I mean…."  He sighed for a moment. Trying to get his thoughts together, he started again.  "It's special. Wait…"  he couldn't get his mind together.  This wasn't something he had planned on talking about with her mother.  "I….I can't describe it or word it."  He looked down at the rose he was holding.  It's white body laced with red captivated his eyes for some reason. "I'm not very good with words."  His hands began to fiddle with the paper that was wrapped around the flower.

She watched him as he struggled.  It was at this point that she absolutely loved the boy.  "Well, not only are you bèl but you like jazz also!"  She nodded her head knowingly.  "You are a good person…I like you a lot."  She leaned and whispered.  "Don't tell Kristi.  I think she'll get jealous."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Sitting back in her bed, she had a complacent smile on her lips.  "I want you to promise me something, hmm?"

"Okay."

"Take care of my Bebe. She's strong, but perhaps not strong enough on her own."

He didn't know what to think of that.  He would always be there for Kristi, but it sounded as though her mother was preparing for the worst.  Nodding his head, he said quickly, "Yes ma'am."

Nina gave him a quick look over before smiling softly at him.  "You're good for her.  You're a fine young man…"

Returning her smile, he said softly, "Thank you."

Just then, there was a swift knock at the door.  "Mom?"

"Ah Bebe, I have a male visitor.  You can't come in yet ." She gave Peter a quick wink with her face full of mischief.  Whispering, she said to Peter,  "Watch how much sand she kicks up."

"Male visitor?" Kristi opened the door quickly. "Mom, what are you doing rendezvousing with males in a hospital!  You know you need your rest until the doctors can fig….ure….out…."  her voice trailed off when she saw Peter hop up from his seat, acknowledging her presence by getting up from his seat. "P-peter?"  A smile crept to her lips.  "Hey."

Peter stared intently at her.  She looked as though the air had been knocked from her.  "Hey Kris."  When she continued to look dazed, he asked quickly, "Kris…are you okay?"

She blinked once before speaking again.  "I'm fine. I just didn't think I'd see you here."

Nina interrupted. "Of course he'd be here!  His favorite Devun is here!  And he wanted to pay his respects to me since he was on his way."

Peter had rolled the rose between his fingertips a few times before he said something about it. "Um…this is for you."  He handed her the flower.  

Sniffing it, she said softly,  "You know you didn't have to."

Shrugging his shoulders, he promptly placed his hands in his pockets.  "There was a deal at the florist shop, buy a dozen, get one free." Smiling, he said, "Besides, you should get flowers more often."

"Are you on your lunch break?"

"Yeah.  Matter of fact," he glimpsed at his watch, "I should get going now if I want to get back on time."

Attempting to hide her disappointment, she said a quick, "Oh."

Giving a small smile, he asked, "I could come by after work."  He turned his head swiftly to Nina.  "That is…to see you of course," he said with humor.  "After all, you are my favorite Devun."

Kristi punched him playfully.  "You were hitting on my mom?"

Nina spoke up quickly. "No…I fess up, I was hitting on him. The whole bouquet of carnations and his liking of Duke Ellington made me a hook, line and sinker."

He chuckled lightly. Coming to her bed, he leaned down to give her a quick hug.  "Bye Mrs. Devun.  I hope you get out of here soon."

She hugged him back tenderly.  "You and me both…" Standing back up, he walked to Kristi. He gave her a hug, his face leaning by her cheek.  Leaving a quick peck, he said, "See you later?"

"I hope."  Smiling back at her, he headed toward the door. 

Once it was closed, Kristi turned around to a loud "aww." She rolled her eyes at her mother. "Mom, cut it out."

She held up her hands in surprise.  "Cut what out?  I'm drunk off of these intoxicating flowers."  She held them up to her nose once more, when they fell from her hands.  Her eyebrows furrowed inward.  

Kristi raised an eyebrow. She dropped the bouquet before they reached her nose. She watched her mother eye her hand warily.  "Mom…what's been going on?"

Before she could answer, Doctor Tate walked in.  "Hello ladies."

Nina threw a quick smile his way.  "Hey doc."

Kristi turned her attention from her mother to him. "What news do you have?"

"Puzzling and I'm afraid disturbing news."

"Disturbing?"

His green eyes looked like they went a shade lighter.  "Yes. As you and I know, your mother was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease.  She was in remission for years, yet it appears that the cancer has resurfaced."

Nina shifted in her bed. "This deals with the lymph nodes, correct?"

He nodded his tanned bald head. "Yes, but what troubles me…what troubles me is that the lymph nodes have had large growths in the cervical region.  Nina, has your throat been sore or neck been stiff?"

She shook her head slightly.  "Not so much my throat sore, but my neck was terribly stiff when I woke up this morning.  I just figured my body was getting used to not having its perapedic mattress," she said with a small chuckle. 

He gave her a sad smile. John Tate had always admired Nina for her resilience, but he knew that it wouldn't be enough to save her.  "The problem is that there is a tumor growing along the right side of your neck."  He walked toward her bed and held out a mirror.  Turning her head slightly, he heard her wince.  "Its hurts?"

She gritted her teeth for a moment.  "Not really.  I just figured I wouldn't move it, it wouldn't bother me."

"Can you turn your head slightly to the left?"  She tightened her eyes and shifted her head. She was surprised by how difficult of a task it was.  He ran is finger down her throat to the base.  "Notice the swelling?"

Nina glimpsed downward to peer into the mirror.  Reaching her hand up, she felt down her neck.  Indeed there was swelling and a small lump.  She sighed heavily and pushed the mirror away gently.  Looking down at the bed, she clasped her hands around her flowers.  "Why is there a bandage on my head and my hair gone?"

Kristi's eyes shot up toward the doctor.  "You didn't tell her?"

It was his turn to sigh heavily.  "We thought it would be wise not to until we could somehow get a better grasp on the situation."

Nina never lifted her head. "Do you?"

"The more we learn, the more confusing it gets.  There happens to be a rapidly growing tumor in your brain also."

Nina's head slowly looked up.  She peered at his dull green eyes.  "What?"

He walked away from the right side of her bed and over to what looked like a small window.  He hooked its plug into the outlet.  "From what we can gather, a rogue cancerous cell made its way through your nervous system by way of the blood stream.  It implanted itself into your brain tissue and began to reproduce at a rapid rate."

Kristina was baffled. How could that happen in less than two weeks?  "Why didn't you catch this? A tumor can't grow over night."

"No…they can't, but something triggered that cell to reproduce at rapid rates.  The tumor along the side of your neck has also grown rapidly.  Nina, you complained to me before about headaches and I passed it off as stress.  This is why."  He pulled out a black and white x ray photo from a brown envelope he had with him. He placed it on the "window" and flipped the switch.  It had a bean shaped object on it.  "I had these x rays done when you came in.  This was exactly 13 days ago."  He pointed to key points on the photo.  "Look at this…no growths, nothing out of the ordinary."  Sighing, he pulled out two other photos.  "Now, these are x rays we took fours hours ago and two hours ago."

Kristi made a small gasp. The bean shaped object now had what looked like half of a ball attached to it.  "How can this be?  This…this isn't natural."

"Nothing about a tumor is natural, but this is the most unnatural thing, as tumors go, I've ever seen. In my medical profession, I've seen cancerous cells make there way through the body, resulting in tumors elsewhere, but never have I seen one develop so quickly.  It's unheard of.  The sheer size of it now must indicate an enormous growth rate.  I'm shocked and sorry to say that I'm surprised you're still alive."

Kristi bit her lip. "W-why?"

"The rate is so quick, it cause her brain to shift drastically and quickly.  Her body's equilibrium would have been thought to never have been able to adapt to such a dramatic change.  The brain shifted to the side in such a way that spinal fluid began to envelop the brain, thus resulting in you passing out from the pressure.  Have you had any symptoms within the last four days?"

"Well, there was an instance where my headaches kept going with no end."

"Did you experience any loss of vision, loss of movement on your left side of your body at all?"

"I would drop a few things and my vision would go in and out a few times in one eye."

"Which eye?"

"My left."

He shook his head slightly. "Just what I feared."

"What?"

"You had the symptoms, but they were mild.  A tumor this size should have resulted in much more dramatic symptoms.  How long would your vision go out?"

"No more than a minute minute."

"What did you say?"

She sighed loudly. "No more than a minute."

"No, you doubled your words.  Have you stuttered any?"

Kristi chirped in.  "She did once."

"It's just now beginning to affect your speech.  The puzzling thing is how the blazes did this thing get so big and why aren't you an any worse shape."

"How much more worse can I get?  I'm shaking like a leaf and my head is pounding like someone is smashing it against a wall."

"Why didn't you tell us? Peter and I wouldn't have bothered you if we'd known."

She shot her eyes up. "What good would it do me?"  She looked back down at the flowers with a smile. "Besides, laughing with you two and talking with folks makes me feel better.  I guess it's a psychological thing…"  She looked back up seriously.  "I already talked to the nurse.  You won't let me have any medication."

Kristi turned her gaze to the doctor.  "Why not?"

He took the photos down and placed them into their brown envelope.  "We need to analyze this thing more….figure out what upsets it and what doesn't."

"Wait, you said she went into emergency surgery.  Why didn't you remove it?"

He grimaced at the thought. "It's not that simple.  The tumor is on a part of the brain essential for vision, speech, and parts of memory.  We didn't know what we were dealing with or how much of the brain was already affected.  We've just now realized that brain activity is going on within the tumor, but a small percentage.  The percentage is large enough to make it appear as though things are okay."

"So this tumor is acting as part of the brain?"

"Not really.  It is engulfing the brain tissue, not necessarily killing it immediately.  So part of the brain activity is still continuing within the tumor, but the tumor is dissolving part of the brain matter slowly."

Nina shook her head with a confused look on her face.  "Why can't you take it out?"  

"Because…the tumor is malignant.  It's deeply embedded inside of the brain.  Removing it would result in you being in a vegetable state or worse.  And because your lymphatic system is weakened because of the cancerous cells, we didn't want to risk infection.  We were too fearful of medicinal injections because we weren't sure if your body would accept or reject in its scramble to be rid of this.  Your body is weak now…and more prone to infections since the lymphatic system is a strong part of your immune system."

Kristi shook her head slowly.  The whole thing was incredible. A tumor coming out of nowhere, while containing vital parts of the brain that it is slowly digesting.  It sounded like something from a horror movie. "What is there that you can do?"

"Well…we've sent your MRI's to Harvard to see if they can come up with a diagnosis of how to go about this."

"But what can we do?" Nina shook her head at her daughter's plea.  She knew where this would take her….She was not a pessimist, but there is a difference between accepting what is in front of you and being a pessimist.  She just patted Kristi's trembling hand.  She was nervous; she could feel it with every vibration made.

"All we can do is…wait, and pray this thing doesn't grow any faster."

"If it does?"

"Well, surgery could be an option, but then there's the great chance of infection, falling into a coma or death.  Even then, that would be to remove the excess parts of it.  If we did succeed, it would leave you in a vegetable state."

"Can I have the choice of surgery or not?"

Kristi shot her eyes toward her mother.  "What do you mean 'not'?"

Nina ignored her and repeated her question.  "Can I have the choice?"

Dr. Tate looked at her warily.  He knew that she knew how grave this was.  Kristi, on the other hand, did not.  That much was evident at the shock on her face.  He nodded his solemnly.  "Of course."  He couldn't blame her. She must be going through hell, constant pain and no medication available to take for it except perhaps the smallest dosages of Tylenol possible.

"Good.  I want to tell you right now, I'm not looking to be a cauliflower when this is all over." He couldn't blame her.  She must be going through hell, constant pain and no medication available to take for it except perhaps the smallest dosages of Tylenol possible.  She shifted once more in her bed in an attempt to get comfortable.  "There's nothing you can do about the headaches? I think I still have a fever also."

"Well, we're giving you small dosages of Tylenol to help with the fever, and are praying that tumor doesn't react violently to acetaminophen.  The headache is a product of the tumor, so it may react differently to the medicine.  We're hoping the Tylenol will help with the pain in that area also.  If that doesn't work, we'll try small dosages of Ibuprofen. I want to stay away from aspirin because it might upset your heart.  That's really all I can do, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

He placed a hand solemnly on her shoulder.  "I only wish that there was more I could do."

She reached at her shoulder to pat his hand.  "I know you do John."

"Well, I-" he stopped quickly when he felt a buzzing by his pants.  " Hold on one second."  He pulled out a small black beeper.  Sighing hard, he put the beeper away. "I've got a patient on the floor below you. We'll talk some time later huh?"

Nina squeezed his hand gently.  "Yeah."

His tall stature made its way to the white door.  Before opening it, he turned around quickly.  "You know that if I could do something…I would.  You know that right?"

She smiled at him. "I know."

He nodded his head slowly. "Well…I'll be dropping by later."

"Looking forward to it. Maybe we can have dinner together. That is, if you don't mind that stuff they 'chicken.'"  She smiled to herself when she saw him shake his head at her with a chuckle.  When he closed the door, Nina turned back to Kristi. Holding the flowers, she said, "Well, that was productful."

Kristi shook her head at her.  Why was she treating this like it was a joke!  "Mom, why didn't you say something about this before!  They may have been able to catch it or something."

She sighed hard. "Well…I honestly didn't think it was anything.  I had a check up with Tate two weeks ago.  Nothing was wrong.  I had headaches, told him about them.  He found nothing wrong. Chalked the headache and tiredness to stress because of that case I'm working on.  Then a few days ago, my sight would go in and out and I would drop things. Stress can do a lot of things to the human body.  I read about it, it can induce fevers, sickness-"

"Stress does not cause your vision to be impaired in your left eye.  Stress does not cause you to drop things from your left arm.  Stress causes increase in blood pressure, and maybe fever, but not a fever of 102!"

Nina, for the first time at the hospital, narrowed her eyes in submersed anger. "Excuse me dear DAUGHTER, but your MOTHER does not feel like being reprimanded today."  The last thing she needed on her mind was that blame was being thrown her way.

Kristi held her tongue. Swallowing hard, she took a deep breath.  "I'm sorry mom…I just, I just wish you would have called me when something was wrong and you knew it." Kristi shut her eyes for a moment before leaning back in the seat.  "You know how much I worry."

"Why do you think I didn't tell you?  You don't need to be stressed out by such things.  You always was a dramatic child when it came to me and this thing."

This thing?  This was thing was what claimed a good bit of her social life with chemotherapy and doctors appointments.  "Who is being dramatic!  Are you not fathoming this?  Did you not hear what he said!  You could have died.  I would have known nothing.  How does that help my nerves?" Kristi shrieked.

Nina squinted her eyes tightly.  Reaching out, she patted her daughter's hand blindly. "Darling…calm down, you're beginning to yell….Just chill."  Hearing Kristi take a few deep breaths, she continued.  "I'm still sitting here.  I'm going to be here for a while."

"How can you be so sure?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm a fighter.  Even you should know that, Bebe."

Her mother was going to wear her down until she admitted defeat.  "I know mom."

"Good.  Then stop worrying.  Now tell me, what did you eat for lunch?"

Shutting her eyes, she shook her head with a quick chuckle.  "Soup and salad."

"What!  Why are you acting like a bird!  Oy."  Kristi shook her head once more before starting to smile.

Kristi stayed with her mother the rest of that day and every day for the past week.  The people at her work were very sympathetic.  During the time there, Nina received flowers and cards of every kind.  Every time she was rolled into the room from x rays, it seemed as though someone had left some flowers.  Before long, it was beginning to look more like a florist shop.

Even though the flowers boosted her spirits and mind health, it simply couldn't do the same for her physical health.  The tumor had grown all together three inches in three weeks.  The difficult task was extracting fluid and tissue from it because it had hardened so.  There was some spark of hope when the doctors first encountered it.  It was softer, now, it was a solid ball of tissue. Moving from the brain, the doctors concentrated on the tumor growing vertical in her neck.  The doctors were able to use mild anesthesia to remove the tumor with ease.  It left a minor scar…

Five days after the surgery in her neck, the tumor in her brain had grown another three quarters of an inch, causing it to bulge slightly from her head.  Word had gotten back from Harvard.  There had been reports of rapid tumor growths much like this one, but the baffling question was why was she still alive, still able to talk and still have almost all normal functions?  The shifting and deterioration of her brain caused her to have a slight lag in the left side of her mouth and a small droop in her left eye. Other than that, she was fine.

Another four days later, Nina had lost almost all functions with her left arm.  Her vision began to go out more and her headaches were unrelenting.  Her words began to double more and stuttering became more evident.  More and more spinal fluid had to be drained from her head constantly. Things were to the point that Nina refused the drainage processes.  Her head began to throb more to the point that she couldn't take the opening and reopening of her head.  She enjoyed the company, but now, even her happiness in that was fading.

Her body was weakened drastically.  There were times that she couldn't sit up.  Harvard reported that a tumor like her's was possible, but very rare.  What puzzled them was that she stayed alive for so long. Their puzzlement was all too soon going to be justified. 

So this is goodbye 

So this is how you say it 

These are the words It's the voice you're using

It's the picture you've seen 

Nina was watching "Whose line is it anyway?"  Her skin was pale and her breathing was resuming its labored nature that it had when she was first admitted.  She was so tired….She cleared her throat.  "Bebe, are you happy?"

So this is goodbye 

So this is how you say it

This is the time it takes you 

It didn't take you a lot now did it? 

It didn't hurt you a lot now did it?

Kristi stopped watching the screen and turned her glance to her mother.  "Ma, what kind of question is that?"

She shrugged her shoulders and said with a small smile.  "A simple one."

"No, I'd rather be in your place."

Nina shook her head with a sigh.  "Darling, I don't think I could handle losing you."

"You won't…and I'm not gonna lose you either."

"Bebe-"

So this is goodbye 

So this is how you spell it

Where you place it in your mouth

Kristi shook her head quickly before shutting her tired eyes.  She held up her hand quickly in protest.  "Mom don't say things like this.  Just….don't….do it.  You've always been strong enough to fight anything.  You've fought so long, don't give up like this."

Nina shook her head slowly. "I'm tired Kristi."

"You've always been here for me and you always will be."  Kristi opened her eyes quickly.  "You'll be with me…"

She gave a small smile. "I'll always be here, but not like this."

"Stop it mom."

What happens if I didn't hear you?

What happens if it wasn't serious?

For the first time there, Nina raised her voice.  "No, you stop it.  You've got to face this. You'll have to eventually."  Her small form slumped into her bed.  "I'm not blind to what's going on.  I'd be an idiot to act like nothing is going on. I'm not going to build myself on false hopes, and I will not do that to you either."  She shut her eyes tightly for a moment before she opened them again. "I'm not going to be here…I know this. I just want this to be over...I'm so tired." She shut her eyes for a moment as she remembered the papers she signed not to long ago...

Refusing to be revived should her heart fail to beat or she be deemed brain dead because of the rapid growth of her cancer. If she was revived, she would be in a stupor, unable to talk, but always being able to feel the constant pain that would be present. She shut her eyes at the thought, gritted her teeth and finished her thought. "But you always remember this: I'll always be right here with you.  As long as you remember me, I'll be here.  Can you do that that?"  She began to double her words again…

Kristi cringed when she heard it.  "Of course."

 It had already started.

Well I was around 

Maybe it was you I came to see 

Maybe it was you who invited me

Her breathing was already becoming labored as she grabbed Kristi's hand quickly.  "Then you've got to learn to let go.  I'll be here."  She turned her head from her and back to the TV screen. "Now tell me, do you love that Parker kid?"  Chuckling, she said quickly, "He's quite a hottie if I say so myself."

Kristi smiled to herself. "Yes…I think I do."

Her head began to pound. "Are are you happy with him?"

"Yes.  Most definitely."

Her body began to ache. "Would you you do anything for him him?"

"I believe I would."

She patted her hand. "That's my Bebe…so back back to my original question, are you happy?"

"Yes."

"Then promise me me something."

"Anything."

She was so tired...it was so hard to keep stay awake..."I want you to always stay stay strong, no matter what.  I want you to stay strong and think with your head and heart.  It's very important that you remember to do both both. You must always be strong enough to do what you feel and know to be right.  Can you promise that that?"

"Yes mom."

"Okay then…Always be strong and let go of your fears…Believe…" She couldn't hold out much longer... Smiling toward Kristi again, she said, "I'm tired dear."

Kristi knew she was tired….It was about time her body had rest. "Rest mom."

Nina swallowed hard. "I think…I think I'll sleep now."  Her hazel eyes fluttered for a moment, but never shut themselves.  "Love you Bebe."

I remember your eyes were on me 

I remember your eyes were on me

Kristi reached for her hand and squeezed it gently.  "Love you too mom…"    Kristi watched her form relax into the white hospital sheets.  Hearing a quick gasp, Kristi shut her eyes tightly. Nina released her hand and her body fell completely lax.

Kristina didn't even hear the machine's long beep…she didn't see the nurse rush in.  She was shuffled out of the room quickly as doctors came rushing into the small room.  Kristi was not herself, but beside herself.  She didn't feel that her legs were moving or hear the people talking to her; she felt as though she floated out of the room.  Lifting her head slowly, her eyes wandered to a dark figure looking in the window of her mother's room.  

The figure turned to her quickly before making his way down the hall.  Kristi was too out of it to even find out where the figure was heading. Instead, she replaced his spot at the window and watched the doctors work in vain.…

Nina Denise Devun died at 9:42 pm.

Goodbye...

So this is good bye- Stina Nordenstam


	12. Chapter Twelve

Kristi stood in the hospital for hours, listening numbly to how her mother wanted no more pain...how she had signed papers consenting to not reviving her should her body fail because of her cancer, the bland excuses of how she would have endured pain should they have saved her, how she would be in a stupor, unable to feel anything but the pain of her brain suffocating and slowly being destroyed...she wasn't worried about that. 

Her mother was dead.

There were papers to sign and forms, she signed them blindly.  The last vision of her mother was her eyes closed and that small gasp that escaped her lips…

When she walked outside, it was pouring.  Perfect, it matched her mood.  

She walked to the nearest park and sat on bench in the rain.  Her clothes were getting soaked through; her hair was matted down to her fallen head.  She sat on the metal bench with its intricate designs molded into it pressing against her stiff back.  Her lashes batted away the rogue raindrops that happened to make their way to her eyes.  Her dark eyes went to the storming heavens. It was such a storm….just like her emotions.

She stared aimlessly into the night, watching lightning dance on the clouds She constantly blinked the raindrops from her eyes. She was trembling, not from the occasional breeze that chilled her wet skin.  She trembled from fear, from a loss, from sadness. Funny thing though, not a tear fell from her eyes….

An hour had passed and yet the rain kept beating incessantly on her form.  Kristi kept her eyes on the clouds, looking for the diamonds that normally shone from the sky, but because of the storm, were missing. Pushing herself off of the bench, she began to walk once more.  She didn't care if she walked into the wrong alley, met up with a murderer, or even the devil.  For the first time in her life, she did not care about anything around her.

She had made her way back to her apartment at what time?  She didn't know, nor did she bother to look.  Her feet sagged up the carpeted steps slowly, carrying her to her abode.  She stripped out of her soaked clothes, dried off, and slipped into some pajamas.  She fell onto her silky bed and stared into her ceiling wishing for the sleep that never came.

………………………..

A cheerful attendant opened the large metal door to welcome his boss home.  Dark lashes hooded Inconnu's eyes and a scowl played on his lips. His tall form walked into his lair, not acknowledging the person next to him.

The attendant, with quick reflexes, caught the jacket that was thrusted so carelessly and violently at him.  Running to keep up with his employer's long legs, the attendant asked quickly, "Sir, is there anything you would like?"

Anything he would like? Oh, there were lots of things he would like, perhaps torture, maybe murder, God forbid even some consolation… He shook his head quickly at the last thought.  Instead, Inconnu's opaque eyes shot back to the attendant angrily.  Growling in undertones, his voice rumbled, "Leave me alone.  I am not to be disturbed under no circumstances." His dark 6'6 figure loomed over his servant's 5'9 figure menacingly "If a nuclear holocaust breaks out and humanity is dying out, I don't want to hear one word about it, not one scream from the victims, and not one knock on my door by the angel of death himself.  Is that understood?"

The attendant shrunk back in fright. "Y-yes si-" he didn't even get his sentence out because the abrupt slamming of the large oak door blocked it out. 

Inconnu strode into the room with composure never leaving him.  His deformed hand went through his night hair quickly, water falling quietly down his face.  A few droplets touched his lips, a brief taste of salt on them.  His analytical mind didn't even ponder why the droplets were salty….

He wandered to his fireplace and lit the logs that sat there untouched for so long.  His worn deformed hand flexed in and out angrily, while the other clutched a small, pure silver ring dearly.  For the first time in his new life, Inconnu felt helpless….

……………………………………

Kristi got out of her bed when the clock stuck seven.  She hadn't slept and her entire body felt as though if the wind touched it, it would shatter like glass.  She didn't care though….how she felt should not and did not matter at this point. She got out of her bed quickly and went to her living room.  She sat on her couch and did nothing.  She just sat there, her mind zoning out, reaching for the past, reaching for the times with her mother that she wished she could relive.

A knock at her door brought her out her reverie.  Getting up slowly, she opened the door without bothering to look in the peek hole. She saw Dr. Tate's sad face looking back at her.  "Kristina." She made no response.  Hopefully the deep circles under eyes and dropped shoulders would explain everything.  He cleared his throat quickly before shifting his stance.  "I brought-" he sighed softly before continuing, "I brought your mother's things from the hospital.  I figured you might want them."  She might want them?  They were only the smallest pieces of what she really wanted. Kristi nodded her head slowly in compliance.

The doctor bent down and picked up a small plastic bag.  He stuck his hand out warily towards her.  Kristi took the bag from him, clutching it tightly.  Eyeing her near white knuckles, Dr. Tate cleared his throat. "Would you like to talk about it or-" Kristi shook her head quickly. "It's not healthy for you to be left alone like this," he reasoned.

"I'll be fine," Kristi said quietly.

"It amazes me how much I see her in you," he said with a small smile.  His green eyes shimmered lightly at the memory.  "She was a good friend and she cared about you deeply. I'm sure she wouldn't want you like this."

If she didn't want her like this, she wouldn't have given up...she wouldn't have consented...she wouldn't have literally signed her life away!  "It's not really something I can control."  When she saw him shrink back a little, she felt even more like crap. Not because of her mother's death, but because she saw the crabbiness that was coming out.  Mourning is one thing, being a bitch was another.

He nodded his baldhead solemnly.  He knew she didn't mean to come off rude. "Of course."  He remembered his behaviorisms when his father died when he was about her age. One of the things he lacked was a mother figure to guide him through it, so he became mad at what seemed to be the entire world. Pissyness was, unfortunately, associated with death. "You have my number if you have any questions about anything…" She nodded her head quickly.  His head dropped slowly,  "Well, I hope to talk to you soon.  Good bye."

Kristi's eyes went forward as the doctor slowly made his way to the elevator.  She felt horrible inside.  She didn't need to be rude to him; he had done nothing wrong. Something in her didn't care. She had wanted to talk to someone about this, so why she just pushed him away like that was beyond her.  Her senses were slowly coming back to her the more she thought.  She was more functional than she was last night.  Her body melted into the pillows on her sofa as she stared off into oblivion once more. 

There came another knock at her door.  Getting up slowly, she proceeded to do the same procedure as she did before:  make her way to the door slowly, open it, and say nothing.

He could hear someone padding across the floor.  "Kristi?" Peter asked softly through the door. Knocking a little louder, he said again, "Kris?"  Peter had stopped at the hospital earlier that day, one of the nurses broke the news to him.  It was a sad thing really. As uncomfortable as things were in the beginning whenever he would talk with her, Mrs. Devun was someone easy for him to talk to and he liked her company.  

The locks clicked simultaneously.  A quick whoosh followed the opening squeak of the door.  Peter's eyes widened slowly when he saw Kristi's form.  Her 5'8 stature seemed so much smaller.  Her hair was slightly ruffled as her sunken in eyes stared back at his.  He took a quick step forward. 

Kristi saw Peter's expression, but it never registered.  Her mind was off on its own, not aware of the things around it.  It surprised her that she heard the knocking of the door for a second time.  When Peter reached for her, she took a step back.  She didn't want a hug, she didn't want to be touched….she wanted nothing, at least she thought she didn't.  Her eyes met Peter's blue hurt ones once.  Her lips tried to form some sort of apology but her voice had disappeared along with her knowledge of things.

Peter saw her lips twitch, but fall suddenly.  She moved out of the doorway, giving the hint for him to come in.  He entered her apartment, watching her form shuffle to the sofa and sit quietly onto the cushions.  

Joining her onto the sofa, he sat there looking at her.  Her body didn't move, she made no movement to acknowledge him.  Something in her wanted so desperately to talk with him, to let him know that she didn't mean to be rude or…

"Kristi?"  She did nothing.  He sighed silently.  He knew this would be hard for her.  Her mother was basically the only family she had near her.  He knew this would be a devastating blow that would render her…like this:  emotionless.  Thoughts flashed back to him about his Uncle Ben. The memories were flooding back quickly with every small breath he saw her take.  He felt guilt for his uncle's death, but he could only ponder what it was like to sit there and do nothing because doing something wasn't an option….

She had no power over this, and he knew how much she hated not being able to control or forestall things. She looked so small, so vulnerable. Maybe this is what her mother meant for him to help her with….to help her be strong.   

He looked up from his own hands that were holding each other.  Kristi hadn't moved at all from her spot.  His hand slowly reached for her's.  When his fingertips touched her's, they almost pulled back from the coldness they were emitting.  He wrapped his entire hand around her's in an attempt to warm them.  His hands began to rub gently against her's in such a soothing affect that her back dropped some and her stiff body parts relaxed.

Scooting closer to her, his other arm reached slowly around her shoulder.  Pulling her close, he turned his body and leaned back with her on top of him slightly.  Kicking off his shoes, he placed his legs on the sofa.  Holding her tightly, he kissed her forehead and just laid there holding her.  Peter had an assignment to go on an interview that day, but it was cancelled, freeing up the entire day for his disposal.  He couldn't think of a better way to spend it.  It was a shame it was under such horrible circumstances.

Kristi murmured something after about 20 minutes.  "I miss her already.  It's only been…"she looked up at the clock on her wall.  Doing quick math, she said, "15 hours."

Peter's hand was in her hair, slowly stroking it.  Softly, he asked, "Would you like to talk about it?"

Her face fell more into his chest.  "I…I don't know."  She scoffed at herself.  "I won't even cry."

Peter's hand made its way from her hair to her arms.  "It's alright to cry."

She shook her slightly. "They won't even come out." Looking up quickly, she asked sadly, "Is that bad?"

"No…"

She placed her head back to his chest.  "When my father passed, I bawled my eyes out.  Now, they won't come out."  She was becoming angrier at her younger self for crying.   Before, if she could back in time and talk to herself, she would reprimand her older self for not crying.  It amazed her how differently a "child" and an "adult" could look at mourning. Bitterly, she said,  "I hate tears.  Tears are ugly beings that have made their way on too many faces." 

His hand began to rub up and down her chilled arm.  "They make you feel better sometimes."

"They make me feel helpless…powerless.  I don't need tears to do that to me…I'm feeling it right now."

Peter sighed softly. When his Uncle Ben died, they did wonders for him.  If he hadn't shed those few water droplets, he didn't know what he would have done. The smallest things could do the biggest wonders.  "They release built up pain."  With a sad smile, he added, "I know."

Kristi shut her eyes and inhaled deeply.  Peter's scent was stuck in her nostrils as her mind wandered.  "I just…I was talking with her at this time yesterday." A small smile threatened her straight lips.  "We were watching I Love Lucy.  She loved Ricky." Shifting her weight, she continued. "We were talking about Lucy's hair, Fred's stomach, Ethel's voice, and Ricky's conga drums."  Her face softened slightly at the memory of Nina.  "She looked so weak, but she kept fighting anyway." A harsher tone escaped from her throat. "And then….she just gave up...she gave up her life."  A small sigh escaped her lips.  "The last thing we talked about was if I was happy with my life, with where I was.  She wouldn't let me get out of it either until I answered her."

"And did you?"

"Yes.  She was so stubborn about some things, but, it was difficult for her."

"She was probably in a lot of pain..."

Sighing softly, Kristi responded. "But she pushed it aside to find out if I was happy.  Then she told me to be strong and let go…she was preparing me.  I didn't know about the signature, but this was her way of preparing me. She was so tired, but she stayed up until she got a straight answer from me."

"At least she attempted to prepare you within those couple of minutes."

She sighed heavily. "Yeah."  Yawning softly, she said, "Thank you for coming over."

"Absolutely never a problem."  He glimpsed down at her as she began to yawn again.  "You can go to sleep right here if you'd like.  I can get up if you want to get more comfortable, but from the looks of it, it seems as though you're pretty comfy."

"You make a good body pillow, but I don't think I'll be falling asleep anytime soon."

"You want some water or something?"

"No thank you.  I'm fine."

"You want a sandwich or something?"

Her smile threatened to come again.  "Peter, I'm fine."

"Sure?"

"Positive."  Peter narrowed his eyes at her.  "Don't look at me like that!  My mom gave me that look."

"You sure you not hungry or something?  Have you eaten anything?"

"I plea the fifth."

"You can't do that."

"I just did."

He tightened his arms around her before speaking softer.  "C'mon Kris, don't do this to yourself.  You are skinny enough already….those bony elbows poking into me need some meat.  I'm gonna get a bruise."

She sat up partially and stared at him open eyed.  "Am I hurting you?"

"No, I'm just playing with you.  I'm gonna make you some soup." Peter got up slowly, carefully placing Kristi to the side so he could get up.  "And you're gonna eat it."

She rolled her eyes at him playfully.  "Are you going to force it down my throat?"

The back of his form stopped quickly.  Turning around, he said with a smirk, "That could be arranged.  I could pin you down."  Buffing his nails on his shirt playfully, he added, "I am stronger than you."

She sat up quickly. "No you aren't."  Her eyes narrowed in a challenging look.

Peter walked back to the sofa and sat down.  He placed one arm on the back of the sofa and one on the seat, leaving her trapped. "Did you forget the beach, spring break maybe?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I let you win."

"No you didn't."

"Yeah, I did."  He shook his head at her in protest when she leaned into him to give him a quick peck.

Instead of it being a quick peck, Kristi, unknowingly deepened it.  Breathless, Peter was the one who pulled away slowly.  Biting his bottom lip, he asked quickly, "What kind of soup do you want?"

Kristi's lips formed a smirk.  "The nonexistent kind.  I'm not hungry, really."

"Humor me…hmm?"  He pushed her back down onto the sofa.  " Just lay here, and I'll surprise you with something."  He kissed her forehead before getting up to go to the kitchen.

She watched him walked off toward the kitchen and a small smile played on her lips.  There was so much she wanted to tell him, to share with him.  Everyday she found herself wondering how did he happen to her.  At least her mother had gotten to know him.  Her acceptance of Peter was a very important factor to Kristi.  She ended up being quite fond of him.

Kristi's brown eyes tugged shut.  She wanted her mother to be happy with her…..Hearing a small chime in the back of her head, she was brought from her thoughts.  "Peter, do you hear that?"

Spider sense.  Peter came from the kitchen.  "Yeah, I'll be back."  He watched with interest as Kristi began to get up.  "What are you doing?"

"I was going to come."

"No, it wouldn't be too good if you fell asleep in midair."

"I'm not tired."

"Tell that to the circles around your eyes.  Stay. I'll handle it."  She watched him pull his clothes off and place his mask on. She sat back on the sofa when she heard him whoosh out of the window.  He'd handle it.  One thought often popped in her head:  What would happen if he wouldn't be able to handle it?  Kristi thought about what happened with Peter and M.J.  What happens if they were put in a compromising situation as that?  They both have powers to save themselves though.  But would they use them in the public's view, be seen and become and a freak constantly hounded because of their newfound identity?

Another thought popped in her head: As handy as this mystery person was with drugs and chemicals, they made something that disoriented them and at one point, turned off their spider sense.  Could they do it again with another chemical, leaving one or both of them defenseless against these people? They could wreak havoc with large crime sprees and possibly going after people in their life.  

Her optimistic side came back into play.  She told herself to stop worrying about such things.  Nothing had happened.  And nothing was going to happen….

……………………………………

Inconnu remained in his room for three days.  He knew as well as anyone that a tumor could not grow the way it did without killing Nina sooner.  His mind was engulfed with puzzlement until he realized that this was not natural or accidental; it was murder. It had to be.  Never leaving his room, Inconnu got in touch with his contacts asking for any information they could muster on the situation.  He told them not to contact him until the day after next.  He was going to have a plane to catch. 

Nina's wake service was at St. Michael's Cathedral.  Many people came for the services, some that Kristina didn't know:  Old clients, other Partners at her firm, and her hairdresser to name a few.  There was an array of flowers, just like at the hospital.  Kristi's eyes didn't water once during the service, but she carried a vacant look on her face.  She was cordial to everyone, as cordial as she could be under the circumstances.

The next day, Kristi flew to Louisiana for the actual funeral for her family that couldn't fly to New York.  Her mother had already been "shipped" after the wake.  She would be buried next to Kristina's father on an area her father bought for their family.  Peter went with Kristi to see her off at the airport that Saturday morning.

The air was warm and the smells of it were lingering with the scent of car exhaust.  The two were standing next to a yellow cab that had parked outside the entrance.  Watching the small, Indian cab driver remove the suitcase from the trunk, Peter squeezed Kristi's hand.  "I'm sorry I can't come with you."

Kristi's eyes were on the traffic going in and out.  So many cars with so many people in them….so many lives that she as sure had been taken for granted.  Her brown eyes looked to him and squeezed his hand back.  "That's okay.  You've done more than enough for me already."

Peter held her hands with his own, gently swinging them while looking down to the dirt-covered pavement.  "Jameson's secretary called me this morning to have me come in early."  Tapping his shoe, he looked back to her eyes.  "They hired a new reporter of some sort.  I think J.J. is actually gonna hire me full time."

A smile crossed her face as she leaned in to give him a hug.  Cheerfully, she said, "That's great Peter."    

He watched her carefully. He knew she was happy for him, but sadness still lingered in her.  "You gonna be okay with everything?"

She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I think so.  It's all closure, I guess."

Peter watched her form shift at the word "closure".  Leaning in close, he encircled his arms around her once more and gave her a final hug. He almost didn't let her go when she placed her head in between his neck and shoulder.  His head began to lean against her's as he sighed deeply. "Goodbye Kris," he murmured into her hair.

Kristi craned her neck to look at him.  "Bye Pete." He leaned down to give her a kiss on the lips.  This time, when their lips touched, it felt, different.  It felt as though he were kissing her differently with every passing second. It wasn't as though he doubted himself or his feelings about her when they kissed, but this time, it felt like a renewed action….

Kristi didn't know if it was because she was in a pretty bad emotional state or not, but she could have sworn that his kiss felt better than normal.  Almost as though there was more with it.  But then again, anything Peter had done lately felt especially better to her during the week.

Peter released Kris and watched her walk into the airport.  When she was inside of the doors, he got into the taxi that was waiting left with only bewildered thoughts.

The taxi driver drove Peter to the Daily Bugle headquarters.  Paying his fare, Peter got out of the yellow taxi and walked into the building.  As soon as he reached the floor, he went to the secretary's desk.  She was busy talking to someone on the phone.  When her soft brown eyes flew up, she pointed Peter to Jameson's door.  Covering up the mouthpiece, she whispered,  "He's waiting for you."

Murmuring a thank you, Peter, walked to Jameson's office.  Knocking softly, he heard someone bark out a "Who is it!"  Peter opened the door and peered inside.  "Ah Parker, why the hell you standing out there for!  Get in here!" the voice ordered. Peter walked in slowly.  Every time he walked in the man's office, he always seemed to be intimidated by Jameson at first.  Three seconds in the office, it all fades away.  

Peter's eyes wondered around the office that reeked of a smoked cigar.  Peter nodded his head toward Nathan Robbins, J.J's assistant, in a silent hello.  "Mr. Jameson-"

Taking a strong puff from his cigar, Jameson breathed out, "Can it Robbins!  Got some stuff to discuss here!"  Jameson looked to Peter with his narrowed eyes.  "Got a new lackey doing some writing."  He nodded his head to the side.  "Mikala Michaels."  Peter's eyes followed the direction that his boss's head nodded toward.  He almost dropped his jaw when he saw her.  He saw a 5'9, long blond haired girl who looked no more than 24. She was sitting in a chair in the corner with tight capris and a white shirt that hugged at her chest.  Her dark green eyes, resembling shards of glass shot up, toward Peter when she was acknowledged.  She eyed him carefully, but quickly softened her hard glare.

She stood up from her seat and strolled toward Peter, slightly swaying her hips.  Peter extended his hand nervously.  "H-hey."

Extending her tanned hand, her voice just purred out a "Hello."  She flashed her teeth at him before winking quickly.  Peter felt a shiver up his spine quickly.  Her eyes looked vaguely familiar…

Jameson took another puff out of his cigar.  "Yeah, you're her new photographer.  Oh yeah, that means you're on the official payroll."  He shook some gray flakes from his cigar.  He yelled quickly,  "Robbins!"

Nathan, who was only a mere five feet from his boss, jumped slightly from the rise in his voice. "Yes?"

"Get the girl an ID and draw up the paper work."

Picking up a yellow envelope that he had placed on a chair, Nathan handed it to Jameson.  "Already done sir."

Taking it from the man, Jameson barked once more.  "Then why you still in here!"

Nathan just sighed. His tired eyes looked back to his boss. "I came to give it to you."  He really should be getting paid more than the ducats he was getting….

"I got it.  That means you can LEAVE now!"  He started his way toward the door, when Jameson yelled at him.  "Robbins!"

"Yes?"

"Stick around.  Got some stuff to talk about after I'm done talking with these two, the Morrison column, get some ideas ready."  Jameson shifted in his seat toward Peter and Mikala. "There's a big thing going on down at the 12th precinct.  Something bout a new police chief."  Pointing his cigar for good measure, he said to Mikala, "Dig up some dirt and get the scoop Michaels.  Parker, just stand there and take pictures.  They better be damn good ones too."  He waved his hands toward the door.  "Now get outta here!"  Peter started for the door with Mikala closely behind him.  "Robbins, about that Morrison column…."

Mikala eyed Peter with little interest.  She saw his eyes widen slightly and the nervousness was practically oozing out of him. This wasn't something new for her, she was constantly being hit on, and jaws were always being dropped her way. She loved every minute of it. She was sexy as hell and she knew it. Her ways of persuasion were her lips, curves, and occasionally what she could do between the sheets.  Causing men to lose concentration or forget about things, mainly their significant others, was her specialty.  When she was done here, she could add some more items to her lengthy resume of seduction and baiting.  Seduction and manipulation all can be used under a common connotation. Of course that would be why she was hired by none other than an under lord….

It was of course a favor to him since he did something to her.  He did something and her eye color changed from its normal baby blues to green. She told someone something and she got it!  That was dangerous for her to have, but she was always one to flirt with danger.  Didn't always work, but it did most of the time.  She smiled to herself when she thought of how those eyes helped her get many things from men….

Once they made it to the elevator, Mikala broke the silence.  "Is he always that….demanding?" she asked thick with an accent.

Peter breathed out heavily. "Yeah.  I guess you ought to get used to it though.  He's not a bad man."  He stopped for a moment to gather his thoughts.  How could he describe J.J.? "Just a little dramatic sometimes. I guess."

'Why not suck up now?' she thought ruefully.  Digging in her purse, she pulled out piece BigRed.  This was, of course, to attract attention to her full lips.  " From my view, I totally agree with you."  She popped the red gum into her mouth. Chewing slowly, she said, "So where are you from?"  The elevator made a quick chime.

They stepped off the elevator, he said quickly.  "Queens."

"I mean are you originally from The Big Apple."

Peter nodded his head slowly.  "My whole life."

She slipped a golden strand behind her hair.  "Wow. That must be pretty cool."

They had reached the door when Peter asked her a question.  "Where are you from?"

"Kentucky."

"Cool.  What's brings you up here then?"

"Sometimes a girl gets tired of horses and fried chicken.  So…I didn't catch your name.  The boss man said something about Parker?"

"Yeah."  Peter stepped to the curb and attempted to flag down a taxi.  "J.J. calls everyone by their last name."  A yellow taxi sped by quickly, ignoring Peter's hand.  With a heavy sigh, he said with his head turned to her, "My name is Peter."

Giving him a quick look over, she said, "Well Peter, it's a pleasure talking to you.  I hope we do more together," she said quietly while licking her bottom lip.  Peter's eyes quickly went back to the on going traffic, his stance shifting uncomfortably.  This whole thing just felt funny, out of place.  

Placing his arm down from it's attempt to flag a taxi down, she held up car keys.  "C'mon, I'll drive."

…………………………...

While in Louisiana, Kristi visited with a few of her old friends and family members.  The service wouldn't convene until the next morning, so this left her with ample time to catch up on old times.  During the whole ordeal, Kristi missed her mother, but didn't acknowledge the fact that she wasn't coming back.  She didn't want to let go of the thought that her mother was going to come back.  No matter what anyone said, a wake service, funeral, and burial later, she still couldn't believe it.

Kristi was staying at a Best Western despite her cousin, Mary's request for her to stay with her. Mary has six kids; peace and tranquility was something Kristi needed and that obviously wouldn't be found in that house.

Kristi was laying down on her queen size bed when she glimpsed at the clock.  It was almost seven o'clock.  In New York, it was nearing eight.  Picking up the phone, she called Peter.  "Hello?"

Kristi sighed quietly when she heard his voice.  "Peter?"

"Kris hey!"  Peter beamed over the phone.  "How are you?"

She gave a small smile. "I'm okay.  I came back from seeing one of my cousins."

"Are they okay?"

"They're fine."

"Well that's good."

"How you doing up there?"

"Um, I'm alright." He looked at his limp noodles in white sauce.  "Just eating some PastaRoni."

"How did the thing go with Jameson?"

"I am now an official Daily Bugle photographer."

"That's wonderful. How is that new journalist?  Are you working with them?"

"Yeah.  We went to the 12th precinct and did a piece on the new police chief.  Mikala is very aggressive when it comes to getting an interview."

Mikala? "Really?"

Peter nodded his head, even though he was talking the phone and there was no way of her being able to see him nodding his head.  "For a minute I didn't think we were gonna get any story, but she managed to make her way in. Lots of tenacity and appeal."

"Not too much I hope," Kristi said quietly.  It was meant to be a joke, but she found herself being serious about it.

Peter made a small smile. "None that you have to worry about DEAR," he said while enunciating the "dear".  "Besides, aren't you near New Orleans?  French Quarter, hello!"

Kristi chuckled over the white phone.  "Don't worry, I'll be a good girl while I'm over here."  Kristi then gave him her hotel and room number.  "Call me if you get bored or something."

He swallowed some noodles. "Call me if you need to talk," he responded.

A small sigh escaped her lips.  She probably did need some talking to, but she wasn't ready to face it.  "Yeah, I'll let you go finish eating your pasta.  It's already eight over there, and we both know how hectic your night life is, so I'll let you get your meal in now."

"Okay.  I'll try to call you later, like tomorrow or so. Depends on what J.J. has in store for me."

She ran her finger over the maroon comforter.  "Okay."

"Alright." The tone in his voice indicated he wasn't done speaking. 

"Was there something else you wanted to say Pete?"

There was something else that was supposed to come out, but he didn't have a clue as to what it was. "Yeah, I-" he stopped for a moment, as if his mind had just gone blank and his mind was pushing something aside for some reason.  "Um….g'night and sweet dreams."  That wasn't it at all.

Kristi gave a small smile. "G'night Peter.  Don't stay out too late."

He gave a gingerly smile. "I won't.  G'night."

"G'night."  Peter hung up the phone and let his eyes fall on his droopy angel hair pasta that was covered in Parmesan sauce.  Mikala seemed nice enough, a little on the pushy side, but nice nonetheless.  Her eyes seemed so familiar to him, but since he had seen so many people, green eyes should seem common.  There was something special about her's though….

………………………………………..

Inconnu's suspicions were confirmed: a growth-inducing chemical was found in Nina's blood stream. This means that someone knew about Nina's health, meaning that someone knew and/or knows about Kristi.  That could lead to only one thing….

Dr. DeMarquise sat comfortably in his abode, playing chess on his computer.  It was his fourth game of the night, each time beating the computer. A white box popped up on his monitor reading:  Video message.  Growling loudly, he hastily accepting it.  Few people knew how to reach him by this means, but those who did only did so when it was something of extreme importance to talk about.  Clicking "ok", he placed his camera on his face and spoke.  "Who the hell is it?"  The picture was still fuzzy.  

His voice calm as face began to come in clearly.  "Inconnu."

DeMarquise smiled. "Ah!  Old friend how are you?  Heard you were out of state on business.  What is it I can help you with?" he asked happily.

His face was straight, his eyes unreadable.  "You killed her mother didn't you?"

DeMarquise eyes shot up. He wasn't supposed to find out about that yet.  "What?"

Inconnu's eyes shut for a moment as he took a deep breath.  "You had the girl's mother killed, did you not?"

"I only did it to spice things up a bit."

His eyes flew open. "Spice things up you say?"  he was steady flexing his fists in and out. He attempted to contain his anger as much as he could, but his anger always proved to be hard to keep in check.

"Well yes.  I was only doing you a favor.  Figured I could help you out by making the girl distant." Brightly, DeMarquise said proudly, "She'll be pushing people away, be disoriented and more susceptible to accepting someone with power, since the cause of her mother's death would be because of her lacking of it and because she wouldn't join us originally.  Guilt and grief are mighty allies when used against someone don't you think?"

Inconnu's mouth twitched slightly into a small scowl.  "Did I not tell you that I would be handling things from now on?"

"Well yes, but I figured this way I could redeem myself.  Also, I have something else brewing in the works.  I have found a way to strip her of her spider powers."

This time, Inconnu made no effort at containing his anger.  "What!"  If he tampered with her, used her as a guinea pig in anyway-

"Well yes.  What your people have overlooked, mine have found. Certain hormones release her spider powers and we have found a way to introduce her into an environment where those hormones will be halted.  We can't get to the precognition and telekinesis because she is using part of her own brain for that, but everything else will not be usable!  We aren't too sure about the electricity though.  That one element seems to be a bit tricky. But other than that, we've utilized her powers into something that we could possibly control!  We have the needed tools to force the hormones to be functional again, giving us the power to allow her the powers anytime we want. Isn't that exciting!"

Exciting? Exciting?  The man sounded like a giggling schoolgirl because he got to play Dr. Frankenstein in his laboratory.  There is no way he could have formulated something so quickly without it having some sort of drawback.  "Who authorized this?"

"Well, I did sir."

Inconnu chuckled silently. "Just like how you authorized that blunder at the warehouse, correct?"

DeMarquise waved his hand to the side at the mention of it.  "That was just a fluke.  Many great men of history must have flukes before they obtain greatness."

"If you have harmed her in anyway, I will-"

The doctor scoffed at him. I will this, I shall that, the man was full of empty threats!  "Oh come off it man!  She's fine! She's going to be fine.  It will appear as a cold at first and then when her equilibrium comes back to normal, boom!"  The doctor began to laugh in his seat.  "This is delicious."

Inconnu's face looked as though it had been set in stone.  "You have gone behind my back and conducted your own experiments? Correct?"

"Well it was only to help you.  Your staff was more than willing to experiment with the possibilities since they knew of your-"

"My staff?  My staff!  You use my staff without my permission, yet AGAIN after I gave explicit orders for you not to do so again?"

"It's all to benefit you Inconnu.  Please, you must put your pride aside long enough to see what is going on.  I'm shocked you didn't come up with the idea yourself really.  I don't know what it is.  Seems as though you've been getting soft.  I know the kind of mastermind that you are, so it has shocked me that you haven't come up with some thing like this on your own. You truly are an ungrateful man."

Getting soft?  Oh, Inconnu would remember this.  Perhaps the good doctor was right.  His other side was beginning to surface more. After all, he did go see Nina while she was in the hospital.  "Hear me well, whenever you use my facilities and my staff and my technology I will be acknowledged before you even pick up a test tube.  You understand me?"

"Yes…." DeMarquise shook his head slowly before mumbling, "Too damn hard to please."

"Good bye dear doctor." Then the monitor went fuzzy once more.  DeMarquise sighed heavily as he closed the box.  He thought for sure Inconnu would blow a gasket if he knew the risks involved: possible damage to her immune system and nervous system, but hey, it was all for the world of crime.  Sacrifices are needed to do things.  At least things seemed to be for Inconnu and not for his own benefit. With her weakened form, she would not be nearly as lethal and helpful to Spider Man.  When she would be taken, she could be converted and then used to bring Spider Man to him.  How wonderful this was!

Inconnu stayed in his hotel suite with anger flowing through his veins.  He knew how the doctor worked.  He was not trying to be a good little helper for him….oh no, he was too impatient of a man to do that!  No, he wanted this Spider Man as fast as he could get him.  Inconnu's anger stopped controlling him for a moment, giving him enough time to let a thought come to mind: Perhaps he did have something here. Knowing Peter Parker's history, Inconnu was able to piece together that he had some sort of fling or another with…what was her name….Mary Jane?  That was what it was.  Well, they weren't together and from what his people could gather from tapped in conversations, he was afraid she would be hurt again.  That kook, Norman Osborn, kidnapped her or something….Inconnu wasn't very interested in all the details.  The fact is, without Kristina's powers, what would poor little Peter Parker do now?  He was still under the delusion that his identity was still a secret.  Inconnu smiled at that thought.  

Then he thought back to the doctor….  

"That idiot!" he yelled out loud.  "This whole thing is going to backfire.  Parker is in too deep to stop a relationship now.  Grief and guilt….bah!  Sure, she'd feel it, but that man underestimates dear Kristina.  She is not as weak as he thinks she is."  His footsteps began to make the bedchamber echo as he paced back and forth on the wooden floor.  "She'll push him away, but he will not give up.  His tenacity is going to be the undoing of this plan. He'll make time for her and be around her more…not around my nice little vixen!"  He began to growl once more at his colleague's stupidity.  "Her most powerful assets are what she can do with her mind, not by web slinging or doing damn flips!" 

His face tightened quickly into a scowl while talking with his alter ego.  "This thing is going to blow up, and they are going to be even stronger together.  The time on the clock has been sped up and now who knows when things can take place. If that stupid whore does her job right, we won't have to worry about them getting back together, but because of the time…."  A softer part of him said quietly, "There just isn't enough time."  Angrily, he slammed his deformed hand down on the oak dresser inside the room.  He sighed loudly again.  "The worse thing in the world for you to do to a couple is to expect one of the people involved to voluntarily push people away…you must insert someone else into the equation to stir up doubt.  That is how you split a couple.  Put in doubt and everything goes down hill.  Now, with what that doctor has done, who knows what will happen now. No doubt the cold that will be brought on will leave her knocked out some.  She won't expect her powers to work, she won't have a need to use the spider ones."  He raked his brain for a moment, looking for scenarios that could possibly help him with this.  "In order to get her to the point of pushing that is needed, she'll need to know that she is found out.  Perhaps she'll be adamant enough to push him away herself, bringing in the past to end it.  Mary Jane's mishap could be the push Parker may need.  She'll not want that hormone agent to get into his system as well….she'll be somewhat defenseless and most likely easier to capture, but stupid parker is going to stay with her to make sure no harm comes her way!"  He yelled out in frustration. "Hopefully Kristina will be hard headed enough to redirect Peter.  She'll no doubt want him away from her since she's going to be a threat and maybe is Mikala does her job right, Peter will have a guilty conscience while with Kristina anyway….Maybe the doctor helped after all."  Giving a contented grin, Inconnu fell onto his bed.

His contentment soon turned into anger.  The doctor killed her mother.  He didn't want her killed.  That was not a part of the plan at all.  "This will not go unpunished…."

……………………………………

Since the police chief election, things have been happening.  Nothing criminalistic, but full of big important things with the mayor and police chief.  Galas were going on, most likely because it was an election year.  Of course the Daily Bugle had to get the inside interviews everyone else wanted and the exclusive pictures.  Of course, this is where Mikala and Peter came in.  That night, they went to City Hall Center for a ball welcoming in the police chief the day after the interview with the chief.

Peter was dressed in a black and white tux when he reached Mikala's apartment.  Buzzing in, he soon heard her cat like voice on the intercom. "Come on in, the door is open." Peter made his way to the elevator and to the twelfth floor.

Mikala was just putting on her dress.  It was a long, crimson dress, just tight enough to accentuate her figure. Inconnu had called her earlier that day, giving specific directions for seduction and whatever else she could dish out, but attempt to refrain from using mind tricks on him.  She didn't need to succeed this time, but put some thoughts in his head.  She liked that idea…

From what she could gather, Peter Parker was an eight-year-old Boy Scout caught in a college student's body.  'He'll be on his guard, but c'mon….' she thought quickly.  "Every man has his breaking point," she said confidently. She fixed her dress so the zipper would be caught when she heard Peter in the other room.

"Mikala?"

She smiled quickly. "Coming Parker!  Just putting on some finishing touches."  Spritzing on some French perfume, she put on her pouting face and made her way to the front room.

Peter's eyes glimpsed around her apartment.  It was modest, just like his.  He made himself at home on her black sofa.  Hearing the clicking of heels, he turned his direction to the hallway. His eyes fluttered for a moment when he saw her figure moving toward him.  He jumped up quickly, while clearing his throat.

Her head was down with her blond hair flipped forward over her head.  "Hey Parker, c'mere."  Her eyes were down as she saw the black shoes come toward her through the blond hair. Grunting she said quickly, "Can you zip up the back of my dress?  It's stuck and every time I try to get it up, my hair gets caught in it."

Peter's body froze for a second.  Zip up her dress?  Even he couldn't stop the quick blood flow that reached his cheeks.  "Um…..I'm not sure that I should."

She scoffed at him while turning her back to him.  "Don't be silly man!  My back is hanging out and I'm gettin' a slight chill, now would you do it already?"

It was rather innocent….zippers get stuck all the time.  His do. 'But do you ask some guy in the bathroom to zip your pants up for you,' his mind ridiculed quickly.  He scoffed at himself.  She just needed her dress zipped up, nothing big.  He walked behind her and placed his hand on the rogue zipper.  He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, blocking out anything else his eyes may encounter.  He tugged at it for a moment and then tugged at it again.  By instinct, he opened his eyes and began to tug. His eyes stopped for a moment when he saw her smooth back and just how low the zipper was  stuck at…. Slowly, he pulled at the zipper and it came up very, very slowly.  He could feel his knuckles hitting her bare skin, so he did quick movements to stop whatever touching wasn't necessary.

Mikala smiled to herself when she felt his touch jerk away from her quickly.  'Poor little boy scout,' she thought humorously.  When she felt the zipper nearing it's destination, she made a long sigh before taking a slow step back.  "Are you done?"

Peter removed his hand quickly.  "Yeah, I'm done."

She turned around and flipped her hair back slowly and carefully.  "Well aren't you just a peach?" she said while pinching his flushed cheeks.  He gave her small unsure smile. "What's wrong with you?  You look like you got your hand caught in the cookie jar or something?"

More like the inside of a dress….  "Nothing it's just, whew," he began to fan himself for good measure, "it's kinda warm.  August is a killer in New York and I'm walking around with a jacket on."

Mikala smirked before saying quickly, "That's nothing compared to Lexington.  Spend a summer there and then you'll see why I came up north."  She sauntered to a mirror in her front room and began to fix her hair.

Peter stared at her for a moment.  She reminded him of a cat just then.  Her eyes!  Man…he could have sworn he'd known them from somewhere. Pushing that aside, he thought about what just happened.  There was entirely too much skin exposed for him, even his eyes fell on the small curve that poked out from the front on the side….

'Enough!' his mind yelled. Too far is where he went, and now, he would bring his little self back.

She heard him mumble something under his breath and turned around quickly.  "What was that?"

Peter looked up from his hands with a confused look on his face.  "Oh nothing.  I didn't say anything."  Mikala nodded her head slowly, before turned her face back to the mirror.  Pushing a few strands behind her ear, she turned around quickly and grabbed her red purse that she had thrown on her kitchen countertop earlier.  Checking its contents, she said quickly, "Okay, I' m set to go.  Are you ready?"  Peter nodded his head slowly.  She went to him and flashed him a grin.  Grabbing his arm, she said, "Okay then.  Let's go." 

They got into her black Celica and drove in silence to the CHC.  She did something to him; he was nervous the entire ride there.  She could see his leg bobbing in the corner of her eye.  She had to use every restraint she had so she wouldn't smile at his misery.

Peter sat on the cold seat keeping his eyes forward.  His senses were heightened as he tapped his foot incessantly on the car floor. There were very few girls, correction…. WOMEN, he was comfortable around.  Mikala Michaels was definitely not one of them.  His Aunt May, heck ya, his old 5th grade teacher Mrs. Driskall, for sure, Kristi, that was a given, but Mikala Michaels…. not one bit. She was very attractive, but there just seemed something creepy about her.  Her overall presence overwhelmed him.  He seemed to have his guard up when around her and he couldn't understand why.  His mind began to harass him. 'Maybe its because she's an attractive girl and you have a girlfriend, but are having guy thoughts and images and-' "Stop."

Mikala looked at him quickly before turning her eyes back to the road.  "What for?"

Peter's leg stopped moving. "N-nothing," he stuttered out. "Just talking to myself."  He shook his head at himself.  'You've got to stop talking out loud Parker…'he thought ruefully.

Mikala looked at him funnily before turning her glance to the road again.  Parker certainly was a weird one….

They reached City Hall Center around seven.  All of the grounds were surrounded with cars.  Mikala pulled up to the front where a valet was waiting.  Giving her a ticket, he got into he car and drove it away. The two walked up the lengthy, stony steps.  The flashed their press cards and they were allowed to pass through.  There was a large, crystal chandelier hanging at the top of the dome shaped ceiling.  Along the sides of the building, there were long tables with place mats for different people:  The mayor and his people, the police chief and his people, and few political characters, and then there were the seats for the press.  

Finding their spots, Mikala and Peter sat down and watched the other people trickle inside.  "I'm gonna go get some pictures," Peter said quickly while looking for his camera.  

Mikala reached in front of him, rubbing against him in specific spots and handed the camera to him. "Want me to give you some?" she purred.

Peter nearly choked on his spit.  "Excuse me?"

"Give you some good shots?"

"N-no, that's quite alright."  Peter shifted uncomfortably and almost fell out of his seat.  Standing much slower this time, he excused himself with his camera and walked toward a crowd.  She did that on purpose, he was sure of it…well almost.  She could have just been getting the camera for him.  He didn't know where he'd put it.  She could have just told him to shift eight degrees to the left and bam! That would have been simpler. And her way of wording things….He didn't have a dirty mind, but she was giving off enough sex appeal that even a priest would say a few Hail Mary's before walking out the room.  He wasn't attracted to her, but her presence was just….she made him feel dirty.  He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. His thoughts fell on Kristi.  And then….

He felt like crap.  

Why was he even thinking about Mikala?  He raised his camera to take a shot of the police chief shaking hands with the Mayor. He had Kristi.  Sure, she wasn't as busty or as curvy as Mikala, but it was his Kristi.  She was beautiful to him no matter what.  Why is he worrying about Mikala's curves?  "I'm a guy.  That's why," he said ruefully.  He then turned his camera to a few of the guests.  'Oh well,' he thought.  Whether it be because of testosterone or not, he loved everything about Kristi, her eyes, her personality, her smile.  He lov-

His hand slipped on the button as that thought began to shoot through his head.  He what?  He said, what?  He said nothing.  Not a thing at all.  His mind was saying things that were just trying to justify his actions.  He cared about Kristi….that was enough.  Nothing more….right? 'Nope, nothing else,' he thought encouragingly.  He scoffed at himself.  He was surprised at himself for almost loosely using a word like that, even in his thoughts!  It was too precious to him for him to go and say something like that.  But did he-  He cut that thought off.  He wouldn't think about that now.  He was unsure about how strong things were anyway, so…. he should not be thinking about delusional stuff like that.  He took a deep breath again and pushed the thought out of his head once more and concentrated on his pictures.

Mikala powdered her nose. She smiled to herself devilishly. His facial expression was so priceless, like a deer caught in headlights.  He was so nervous.  He obviously hadn't been around that many women.  Apparently, his girlfriend wasn't giving him the goods that was expected from most. But why would he deny her? Surely he must be sexually dissatisfied.  Mikala loved being the beverage that quenched that kind of men's thirst….

Maybe his girlfriend was dishing it out, and he is so wrapped around her finger, he shuts down every other female.  She smiled to herself before saying confidently, "I'm not every other female." He was so nervous….she knew she had an affect on him.  "Maybe this'll be easier than boss man said it would be…"

The night went pretty well. The police chief made his speech, the mayor made his speech, and everything was cool.  Now, at eleven, the whole shindig was over with.  The Mayor made his way  back his home and so did the police chief. 

Mikala yawned loudly as the valet brought her her car.  "Well this was quite the boring ball."

"Not the most exciting thing huh?"

She yawned again. "Not at all."  Glimpsing at her watch, she said quickly, "Well, I guess I ought to get crackin' on this story.  Think we can make the edition for tomorrow?"

"They normally don't ship the paper off to the company until about two.  So guess you might have the time."

"Can you get your film developed?"

"Sure.  There's a dark room at the Bugle."

"Great.  We'll go straight there.  Is someone going to be there?"

"Nathan usual is."

"Good, good!"  Mikala sped to the Daily Bugle in record time. It amazed Peter that they weren't pulled over.  Peter got out on his side of the car and waited for Mikala.  When she didn't get out, he went over to her side of the car and peeked in the window. She looked like she was zoning out…

Mikala stopped the car but she felt as though she couldn't get a grasp on her mind.  Ever since that guy used her as a guinea pig and changed her eyes, that had been happening a lot lately.  Everything was distant.

Peter opened the car door and tapped on her shoulder.  "Mikala?" He tapped on her again.  She twitched quickly before turning her eyes to him. "Are you okay?"

Mikala shook her head quickly to clear it.  "Um yeah, I'm cool.  I was just thinking of what way to go with my story....yeah."  She still looked in a daze, so Peter helped her out of the car.  When she stood up, she was in perfect balance, like a cat.  He almost expected her to topple over from the way her eyes looked.  Mikala stared at him for a moment.  "You're a sweet guy Parker?" Smiling brightly, she leaned in with speed that shocked Peter, and kissed him on the lips.

Instantly, Peter grabbed her arms and pushed her away.  "Wha-what do yo think your doing?"  It felt…Blech!  He literally felt sick to his stomach after she had done that.

Confused, she said honestly, "Gave you a peck."

Peter began to spit out words.  "I-I have a girlfriend."

Mikala stared at him dumbfound.  She knew he had a girlfriend, but she was surprised at how he reacted.  He didn't linger, he pushed her away immediately and that baffled her. "You thought I was…"  She busted into a fit of laughter.  "Oh n-no!"  She looked at Peter's confused face, hoping to keep the act up as long as she could.  "I-I'm sorry but this  is hi-hilarious!"  She stopped laughing long enough to give Peter an answer.  "Folks back home always give each other pecks.  It wasn't like full blown tonsil hockey or something."  She began to laugh again.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't know people up here didn't do that."

Peter had seen people give each other pecks on the lips, but….but nothing.  He just made a fool of himself.  Blushing quickly, he said,  "I'm sorry.  I just…man, I just made a fool out of myself."

She patted him on the shoulder.  "No, I'm the fool.  I guess next time I should read into New York customs before I do anything else.  Don't worry, I'll be sure not to do it again."  She smiled brightly again.  "Gosh you're cute when you blush.  You remind me of my little brother."  

Peter looked at her sheepishly.  He had seen people do that before, but, when Mikala does it, when Mikala does anything, it doesn't feel right. So instead, he just smiled and nodded his head as they made their way to the building.

…………………………

Kristina walked into her cold hotel room. She had forgotten to turn the air conditioner off, but she didn't care.  Final goodbyes were said but there was no sense of closure.  

She walked to her suitcase and pulled out small box.  Inside of it was her mother's engagement ring.  Kristina rolled it around in her fingers as the diamond sparkled from the light hitting it.  She down on her bed, still eyeing the ring her father gave her mother twenty years ago as a pledge.  She didn't see the wedding ring though….

Clutching the engagement ring tightly, for the first time, Kristina cried for her mother.  She was tired of fighting the tears and hiding the sadness.  She shed her tears in near darkness finally letting go. She cried herself to the point of delusion.  She couldn't tell if she was awake or not, but  she could feel the wetness on her cheeks, even in that state of mind.

She was laying there when she felt light for a moment and then warm, almost like a touch.  It felt like something was floating around her, words perhaps?  She didn't know, but it was so calming and soothing that her crying left her.  Her tears ceased and for a brief moment, so did her sadness.

The next morning Kristina got up quickly.  When she looked down, she was under her sheets.  Did she do that?  She glimpsed to her hand to see that small ring still being clutched tightly.  Instantly, she thought of her mother.  She wasn't one who outwardly believe in angels, but it didn't feel like her mother.  So who was it?

"Maybe it was nobody and you're just going crazy," she said angrily.  She glimpsed down at the ring again as a small smile came to her. Still…it was a nice thought.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Note: Sorry I've taken so long to update...almost three weeks....you'd be surprised how busy you get when school starts....well anyway, here you go. I'll try to get these chaps out sooner. Please don't forget to review.  
  


Inconnu flew back on his plane in silence.  Once he reached his place, he threw his jacket at his assistant, as always, and went to his black elevator.  Pushing a few buttons, he was sent downward to a lab.  

A blond man turned around quickly and gave a small smile.  "Professor Inconnu, what a surprise. Did you enjoy your-"  Inconnu grabbed him by the neck and slammed him up against a wall.

The man slammed against the wall loudly, his groan the only noise in the room. Inconnu loosened his grip when he saw the man's face changing colors slightly. Quietly, he asked, "Why did you commence with this…endeavor the good doctor is at?"

Coughing a little, the man's brown eyes eyed Inconnu warily. Stuttering, he said, "W-we were under the impression it w-was what you had wished."  Inconnu laughed loudly. Under the impression? Oh Inconnu would make an impression... an impression of his gold rings into that man's- 

"Who do you work for?" Inconnu snarled.

The man's shoulders slumped in fear.  "You sir."

"Then why did you listen to him, YET again? Believe me, I'm quite curious."

"Um….our department had nothing to do with the last mistake the doctor made. It did sound like something you would want done."  The man cursed himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Oh it did?"

Trying to cover up, he started, "Well, I mean-"

"It sounded like something I would do hmm?  Well hear me well, I will come down here MYSELF and issue orders.  You will follow them and them alone.  Is that understood?"

"Yes sir."

Inconnu's eyes flew around the room as he dropped the man.  "Is that completely understood by ALL of you?" his voice roared.  All he heard were collective murmurs of agreeing. Smiling, he said quickly, "Good. Have a nice day."  Inconnu stalked out of the room quickly back onto his elevator.

Something was going to have to be done about this DeMarquise fellow….but like all good things, they come with time.  Thank God Inconnu was patient.

………………………………………………………

Peter quickly pulled his pants up, buckled his belt, and looked at himself in the mirror briefly.  Jameson called him in early, the day of to be exact.  

Peter hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.  He stayed up that night to do his pictures and submit them to Nathan.  To top it all off, crime was up and going again after a small drought.  Though he liked the lack of work, he was almost glad to have his nightlife coming back to action, just not the same night that he had a lot of work to do.  
  


He ran through his Kitchen, grabbed a strawberry PopTart, rushed out the apartment, and hailed a cab down. His blue eyes eyed the small Arab man that was driving him.  He got no vibes from him.  That was one of the things his mind did often; testing vibes from people.  He was doing that a lot lately.  This would be the reason his mind was on Mikala for a while.  Though she was nothing more than a partner to him, absolutely nothing romantic, and she seemed like an okay person, she still gave him the creeps.  Maybe it was because she was so overpowering, always wanting things her way or no way.  
  


It had its advantages. The paper was getting some its best interviews from her and his pictures though it had only been two issues of the Daily Bugle.  Jameson gave him compliments, which shocked him.  Very weird thing….

Peter reached the building at exactly eight o'clock.  Jameson was a stickler for punctuality.  Giving his money to the cab driver, Peter ran into the building, and to the elevator. It was 8:02 by the time he reached his designated floor.  He rushed past the secretary and knocked swiftly on Jameson's door.  "What do you want?" he heard the familiar voice bark.

Peter opened the door slowly.  "It's me sir."  Peter looked around the room and saw Mikala sitting in a leather chair across from Jameson's notorious cigar tray.  He nodded his head toward her in acknowledgement of her presence.

"You're late Parker!"

"Sorry sir, I had to beat the morning traffic."

Jameson took a puff from his cigar before placing it from his face.  "Well don't just stand there, SIT DOWN!"  Peter jumped slightly.  Was there something wrong with the previous issue?  The pictures?  Peter went to the nearest chair and sat down.  He watched J.J. with interest.  "Okay, I heard from sources that there is something big down in city hall. The mayor is playing Sherlock, something about corrupt officials."  Pointing his cigar toward Mikala, he ordered, "I want you there to be the first to interview the mayor.  I want the scoop."  He pointed his cigar to Peter. "I want you there to take pictures of the whatever it is they take out of there.  I want lots of pictures.  Got me Parker?  Not crappy drawings on what you may call film, but GOOD pictures.  Got me?"  Peter nodded his head slowly.  Jameson waved them off quickly.  "Get out of here!  Why are you in here?" Peter softly sighed to himself at Jameson's last comment.  He really did ask quite stupid questions.

Peter opened the door for Mikala quickly before stepping out.  Mikala eyed Peter carefully as he walked next her through the newsroom. He wasn't all that bad looking. He did look kinda cute in his tux last night….She felt his muscles tighten when she gave him a kiss.  His arms aren't nearly as measly as she originally thought.  She could only wonder what else there was that she hadn't originally expected….

Peter held his arms in his hands, rocking back and forth on his heels, all the while shifting uncomfortably in the elevator under Mikala's intense stare.  His eyes wondered from the glass walls to the ceilings, to his shoes, ANYWHERE besides at Mikala.  When they reached the bottom floor, he followed her to her car, noticing how many glances she stole.  

He couldn't take it anymore finally.  "W-why are you staring at me like that?"  Peter stuttered out finally after mustering enough courage to ask.

"Staring at you? " Mikala's cat like laughter rang through her car.  "Parker, you are interesting to look at.  Look at you, you're on the edge of your seat like you're scared or something. Like you're a trapped mouse." Peter's mind did often make references to her being a cat…. "Chill Parker, I won't bite."  Peter stuttered out a small laugh.  He was always on his guard around her.  It felt as though he were afraid….

But of what?

The two got to City Hall within six minutes.  The parking lot was already crowded with newscasters and reporters.  Mikala slammed her black car door shut.  "This was supposed to be my story," she mumbled. Although her "alter" life was getting the things that others couldn't with a pretty face, she did have a passion for writing.  With that, came a very competitive nature.  She grabbed Peter by the arm and dragged him through the crowd.  "You're slowin' me down Parker!  C'mon!"  She pushed and pulled her way to the front of the small crowd that was growing larger as the seconds passed.

She finally made her way up to the barricade when a police officer held his hand out.  "Stop right there."

Mikala pushed his hand down roughly and spoke quickly.  "Okay Rent-A-Cop, stop with the act.  Let me through."  


The man's staggering 6'1 body didn't phase her one bit.  He was used to haughty reporters who wanted a story, but normally, their tenacity was brought down a few notches when they saw his large form.  "Look, MISS, you aren't allowed through here."

Mikala rolled her green eyes at him.  She wanted her story…dammit she was gonna get it.  Of course Inconnu told her to use her "eyes" only when necessary…well, this was necessary.  After all, who was she to upset her "employer", Jameson?  She was his reporter.  Tightening her facial features, she stared him down coldly.  "I am going to be let through, is that clear?"

The policeman blinked for a moment before shaking his head.  "No, you aren't allowed."  His voice was beginning to shake.

She was getting through and she could only feel a smirk tugging at her lips.  More adamantly, she said, "You will let my photographer and myself through.  Aren't you?"  He stood there for a moment not answering her, when suddenly he nodded his head slowly. 

Pulling the metal barricade back, he said numbly,  "Go ahead."

She smiled sourly at him and said a curt thank you.

Peter couldn't quite hear all of what was being said between Mikala and the cop, but whatever it was must have been persuasive.  He looked at the cop oddly as he was whisked past him.  His jaw was slightly lax and his eyes had turned into a deep color, ebony it seemed.  A split second later, his eyes were back to their regular hazel color.  Peter blinked for a moment as if to fully comprehend what he just saw, but shrugged it off.  Still….the thought lingered in his mind….

Mikala made her way up the steps quickly, gripping Peter's arm the whole way.  Peter looked down at her crimson painted nails that were beginning to dig into his flesh.  He stumbled up the steps behind her, whisking through the double doors.  "Um, out of curiosity, where exactly are we going?"

Mikala stopped dragging Peter for a minute to think for a moment.  She had never been inside City Hall before.  How was she to know  where to go?  Tapping her foot, she looked around quickly.  Her eyes flew from one side of the white hall to the other until she saw who she was looking for.

None other than the mayor himself.

Smiling widely, she said, "C'mon."  She grabbed Peter's arm again and began to run.  Her black boots slid across the tile floor into the room, which held the mayor.

A few men turned around, along with the mayor and police chief.  "What are you doing here?" the mayor ordered.  His now storming gray eyes turned to the police chief.  "I thought I said no reporters?"

He shrugged his broad shoulders.  "I don't know how she got through sir."  The police chief turned his eyes back to her when a small smile came to his lips.  "I remember you.  You were that charming lady I had the pleasure of talking with last night.  Am I right?"

Mikala smiled brightly as she flipped her hair back.  She always did know how to leave an impression on a man… "Yes you are."

Peter rolled his eyes at the sight. The chief was having impure thoughts that much was evident, and Mikala was relishing in the mere thought of it.  Of course, he kept mum on her tactics.  The mayor, on the other hand, would not. He rolled his gray eyes and said in a scoff.  "I don't care where you met her.  I want her out of here!"  With that, he turned back around to his entourage.  A few officers began to walk toward them.

Just as she and Peter were about to be escorted, she said quickly, "You've got a lot guts doing this in an election year."  


His balding head shot up from some paper he was looking at.  "Excuse me?"

"I can see the headlines now, 'Mayor mauls reporter to keep corruption within his City Hall, details at nine'."

"Dear girl, you need to work on your verbs and adjectives."

"I dunno.  As tight as the muscle men, you call cops, are gripping my arm, I'd say that would leave a bruise."  Peter nearly dropped his jaw.  Not only where they going to get thrown out of City Hall, but put in jail for blackmail also.  How did things go from good to bad to worse in less then five minutes? 

The mayor's eyes narrowed into deep slits. "What are you getting at?"

Mikala snatched her arms from a policeman who had a grip on her arm.  She shot her angry eyes his way quickly before turning back to the mayor. "It seems suspicious and shows idiocy if you keep all of the people of the press out of here."  Everyone in the room collectively inhaled.  Folding her arms, she said confidently, "What do you have to hide, sir?"

The mayor stared at her dumbfound.  This girl, this girl that was three times younger than him was throwing challenges his way.  He was the mayor of New York and he was getting challenges thrown at him by some Playboy reject!  Scoffing at her attempts, he said coolly, "It's nothing that concerns you little girl."

"This is my city and you are MY mayor.  It does concern me."

The mayor stared at her for a few seconds before starting to laugh. She had a lot of spunk and he liked that. But maybe she had a little too much. Waving his hand, he said with laughter, "Somebody PLEASE escort Connie Chung out of here."  Mikala huffed loudly.  She was about to throw her eyes at the mayor when the Police chief stepped between her, Peter, and the other policemen.

He held up his hand quickly.  "Wait a second, I've got an idea."

The mayor rolled his eyes at him.  He bet he had an idea…too many about the reporter.  "Klein, what are you doing?"

"I've been thinking…" The mayor scoffed at him.  Oh, he bet he was thinking…with the wrong part of his body.  "Instead of letting the press come to its own conclusions, let these two help you influence the people out there."

His eyes narrowed.  "What?"

"You give her the chance to get an interview, make you look like the man who stopped the corruption, and you'll be sitting on your bum with your title still attached."

The mayor thought about that for a moment.  That new guy, Collins, was stealing his votes. If he could nail this corruption thing AND get the positive publicity, then it would a big plus to him.  Who would not vote yes to a man who stopped corruption? "What newspaper are you for?"

Mikala snapped out of her own thoughts and answered the question.  "The Daily Bugle."

"You work for that nut Jameson?"

"I take it you know him."

He chuckled to himself. "Yeah…me and him go way back. Crazy bastard."  He remained quiet for a few more seconds.  "Okay, since you're one of Jameson's lackies, I'll give you a break since I know he's paying close to nothing anyway.  I like you…you got a lot of spunk."  He patted her on the shoulder.  "Look, I'll give you some quotes, then you can take it up with Klein.  I got better stuff to do then talk with a reporter."

"Deal."  Mikala turned to Peter and winked.  Peter just shook his head slowly.  How did she do it every time?

The day overall went well. Peter got great pictures of the mayor and police chief, officers inspecting materials, etc.  Mikala got her interview and the home number of the Police chief in case she wanted to do an "inside story". Of course, she could only add this to the many men who had fallen victim under her charm. 

Peter didn't think of Mikala as having charm; he thought of her as manipulative and driven.  Not the best combination in the world, but maybe it was for this field of work.  Who knows? He got his pictures, she got her interview:  The only pictures and interview pertaining to the corruption clean out at City Hall.  

It was well into the afternoon when Peter and Mikala made it back to the Daily Bugle.  Peter went to the dark room to develop his pictures and Mikala began to work on her story.  By six, Peter was leaving.  He squinted his eyes as he left the dark room and into the brightly lit hallway. He made his way to the main paper room to turn in his pictures.  He was tired, his feet hurt, and he wanted to catch up on the sleep that was taken from him with Jameson's barking.

He was on his way out when someone called out for him.  Turning around quickly, he saw Mikala starting toward him.  She skidded over to him and began to walk with him.  "Well Parker, you look beat."

He stifled a quick yawn. "I am.  J.J. woke me kind of early, so I'm hoping on catching up on some sleep."

"Not a morning person I take it."

"Not at all."

"Hmmm."  Well, if he was this tired and this set on going to his apartment, why not continue her pursuits to his apartment?  "Well you know, I could give you a ride.  Save on cab fare."

"I don't want to impose. It's okay."

"It's not imposing if I'm the one offering."

"Okay, if you insist." Peter didn't feel like putting up a fight.  He was just going to have to cope with his insecurities and doubts with her another time.  He had a long day.

The two drove to Peter's apartment building in silence.  Mikala was concocting plans for Peter, while Peter was steady thinking about what to fix for dinner, how was Aunt May, and when Kristi was coming back.  When she pulled up, Peter hopped the car and thanked her for the ride.  Mikala's green eyes looked at him incredulously.  Leaning over in her seat, she asked, "Aren't you even going to invite me in?"  As usual, her perfect cleavage would be showing.

Peter gave a small tired smile.  Shutting his door, he leaned on the opened car window.  "I would, but being a crappy, sleepy host isn't the way to go about it."  
  


She could wake him up, she was sure of it. She nodded her head slowly. "I get ya.  Well go take your nap or whatever." He was afraid of her, she knew it, but he did look tired.  They had done a lot that day, so attempting to do anything now would be pointless.  Oh well, she'd fine someone to entertain her interest. Maybe she could give the police chief some classes on strip searches…A smile touched her lips. 

She loved using men!  

Snapping from her thoughts, she leaned back to her first position.  Mikala said quickly, "See you tomorrow at ten."

Peter stepped away from the car as she revved it up.  Waving, he said, "Bye."  He watched her speed off down the street before walking up the concrete steps of his apartment building.  He was tired, he needed a shower, and he needed some food.  The only thing he had eaten was an iced PopTart that he had for breakfast.  


He walked toward his phone and played the messages: one from Harry about getting together, one from M.J. about a small part she had gotten on a TV show, one from Aunt May about his Aunt Agnes coming in on Friday, and another from one of the people who had English with him the previous school year.  All was well with everyone, just checking in on him.  He was kind of surprised he hadn't heard from Kristi.  She probably didn't feel like being in the talking mood, but he knew her more than she gave him credit for.  Even though she wouldn't talk, she wanted to.  That was just the way things were.

Reaching for his cordless phone, he dialed the number to the hotel and her room number.  The phone rang three times before someone picked up. "H-hello?" a voice croaked out.

The voice was drowsy…perhaps he had dialed the wrong number?  "Kris?"

Kristina inhaled deeply before talking again.  "Hey Peter."

She sounded so sleepy that it was adorable."Did I wake you?"

Kristi rubbed her eye ruefully and looked at the digital clock. She stretched quickly before answering.  "Yeah, but I needed to be getting up anyway."

"What did you do today?"

She shrugged sleep off of her body. "I did nothing.  I didn't feel like doing anything.  My cousin called me.  I talked to her for a little bit, but that's all."

"You aren't going to get out and do something?"

"I was going to go to my cousin's for eight."

"Well that's good."

She sighed softly.  His voice made her feel just a little bit better. She didn't feel bad, just drained. She had poured her eyes out. Taking her mind off of it, she asked quickly, "Did I miss anything up there?"

Peter shrugged his shoulders as he went into his kitchen to look for something to cook.  "Not really.  Four store robberies and three muggings that were prevented," he said with a nonchalant sigh.

For the first time, Kristi had a nice healthy laugh. She goes away for two days and he develops an ego."Is that your way of gloating for your good work?" she asked with humor and sarcasm.

Peter's eyebrow rose in a challenge.  "Is that your way of giving a compliment?" he countered.

Kristi smirked into the phone.  "Touché."

He sighed once more before his eyes roamed over his kitchen pantry. "So how are you?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I'm okay I guess."  Sarcastically, she said with a scoff, "Still hope I have a job."

Peter shook his head at her weak humor.  "How are you, really?"

Kristi sat up on her bed and glimpsed around the room. "I feel a little on the empty side, but comforted.  It's a weird thing."

Spotting some fried rice, Peter's hand reached for the red box. "Why is it weird?"

Kristi's eyes were wondering around her room when her dark eyes fell onto her mother's ring. Speaking in distant tones, she said with a quick laugh,"You'll think I'm crazy for this."

He gave a small smile as he tore the top of the box off. "No I won't.  You know that."  


She sighed heavily over the phone.  "Okay...well, last night, I cried myself to sleep or close to it.  Then I felt something…."

Peter bent underneath his stove in hopes of finding his favorite silver pot.  "Like what?"

"Warmth and murmurs. I know it sounds crazy, but it made me feel better."  The whole idea wasn't really crazy, but what she felt…wasn't her mother.  It was someone else, someone close to her, but she couldn't put her finger on.  It seemed as though her past began to blur together into large blobs, getting bigger and bigger, making things harder to decipher.  Maybe this was her way of protecting herself.  Who knows? Peter's quick yelp brought her from her thoughts. "Are you okay over there?"

Peter groaned angrily, while brushing his free hand over his head. "I'm fine...the bottom of the stove bit me, as you would so eloquently say. But yeah...that's not crazy." Pulling his pot out, he placed it under the faucet, and began to walk to the refrigerator. 

"What it probably was me having my dreams again.  Ever since the wake, all I see is sadness and hear I'm sorry's and feel hugs even in my sleep."

He pulled out some eggs, carrots, and butter.  "Maybe so."

Kristi shook herself of her memory and refocused on Peter.  "But anyway…how are you?  Are you okay?"

"I'm good."

"How's your partner?"

He went back to his pantry to pull out some peas.  "She's fine.  We get along okay, I guess."

Her eyebrow rose skeptically. "You guess?"

"Yeah.  She creeps me out a little.  I mean, everyone's different and it's not a weird creep me out, just a creepy creep me out."

"I get ya."

He went to his salt cabinet and looked for some soy sauce.  "Other than that, everything seems cool."  He found the soy sauce and place the brown bottle next to his other ingredients.  "We've been on three assignments.  All good success.  Not a compliant from J.J., and that's a huge rarity."

"I'm happy for you."

"I'm happy you're happy." He could feel her smiling back at him. His being goofy with her was never looked down on and he loved that. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm making fried rice," he said proudly as he dumped some of the access water out.

She could feel him beaming over the phone. Sitting up on the bed, she asked, "Really?"

Peter nodded his head.  "Yup yup.  You gonna wish me luck?  I just got this apartment not too long ago, I don't wanna burn the place down."

"You did pretty well with the pasta yesterday. You're still alive and all."  


"Yeah, but this has bunches of steps." He started to make a whiny voice."You know I can't do that sort of stuff.  I'll hurt myself."

Kristi swung her lanky legs over the side of her bed and looked at the green carpet. She needed her sneakers. "Poor dear."

"So what time are you coming back tomorrow?"

She dropped to her knees with the phone still in her hand. Lifting the comforter, she said,"Um…eleven."

His mouth contorted to a weird shape.  "Ewww…" he said sounding like Lucy.

"What?"

"I gotta be at work for nine.  I would have met you at the airport."

She shook her head at him. "I'll be fine Pete."

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah."

"Okay then."  There was silence for a moment. Peter rocked on his heels for a moment before speaking again. "Well, I was just checking in with ya.  It must be near seven o'clock over there, so I'll let you go get ready to see your cousin."

All she had to do was put her sneaks on her feet and pull her hair into a ponytail. She knew he wasn't trying to get rid of her, but there just wasn't much to say. She just liked hearing his voice. "Okay."

"Okay..." Enthusiastically, he said, "Bye DEAR!"

She chuckled over the phone at his playfulness.  "You are such a goober."

"Yeah, you like every minute of it."

"I sure do.  Bye Pete."

"Bye Kris." Click. Peter put the phone back on its base and went back to cooking. Truth be known, the phone just wasn't working for him. He missed Kristi. He needed some support every time he went to work. He could have sworn that Mikala had been flirting with him and checking him out. Maybe she just wanted attention since he had been on his guard so much, not really being one open to conversation. He never felt as though his reserve was breaking when he was around Mikala, but she sure seemed persistent. It was weird, sometimes someone just needed the reassurance of another face...

..........................................  


Kristina got off of her plane at 10:50. Quite frankly, the whole flying thing was not her cup of tea, especially when bad kids where running up and down the row making noises like a plane. That didn't settle her nerves too much. Never in her life had she been happier to be standing on solid ground away from a confined space and hours of torture by pint size trouble makers.

Getting her luggage, she quickly flagged down a taxi. She had been thinking a lot lately about getting a car. Nothing fancy or new....maybe a Tahoe or a Taurus. With the way things were going with her at work, she would need to do some double shifts in order to make the payments. With school coming in a few weeks, she could get some quick cash, but when school started....

"Yeah well...one day at a time," she told herself. Once she got to her home, she put her stuff up and went straight to her laptop. She needed to confirm her classes for school that semester. If she didn't do it now, she wouldn't remember. She had called in to work to tell them she would be able to work at 2 pm. 

While on her computer, she remembered she needed to buy her books, binders, notebooks, and of course a new calculator. She stepped on her old one...some sort of fluke accident in her bathroom. She often did math while she was sitting in the bath tub. Oh well...it was about time she got a new one. That graphing calculator was at least six years old. She sighed quickly as she thought about all of this. Welcome to the world of Academics.

It was 12:05 when she got a knock at her door. She was a little taken back by it. All of that silence and then loud knocking. She got up from her table and skidded across the floor to the wooden door. She pulled it open to see Peter smiling at her. Her entire face lit up.

Peter's blue eyes softened when he saw her face. Reaching out, he pulled her into a hug. He breathed in deeply. Her hair smelled like summer. He smiled to himself. How can someone smell like summer? Pulling his face from the top of her head, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Well hello there."

Kristi grinned at him. "Well hello there. What are you doing here? I thought you had to work."

"Lunch break. So...I'm hoping you haven't eaten already."

She shook her head. "Not a bite."

"Good good. Would you like to come with me?" he said with a cheeky smile.

"No."

His face scrunched up in puzzlement. He hadn't expected her to say no. "No?"

She shook her head. "Not at all." Of course she was joking with him, but it would be interesting to see where this would go.

"You sure? Not many people want to say no to this face." He flashed his teeth at her.

"I'm not many people."

He sighed as his smile fell. "I know. That's one of your better attributes."

"Thank you. Thank you for the offer also. I would love to go to lunch with you."

The grin came back. "I knew you would." Grabbing her keys and purse, she followed Peter out the door.

"What is this ego you've developed?"

His eyes shot up defensively. "Ego? Me, never."

"Hmm..."

"What are you 'hmmm'ing for? No ego, I promise." He stuck his tongue out at her, getting a quick laugh from her. By instinct, his hand reached out for her's and held it as they walked.

Kristi smiled inwardly at the subtle movement. "So...what are you doing?"

"Walking with you," he said calmly. There was humor, but it had a serious tone behind it.

"Goober."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing really. Covered a new library opening at 11 this morning. Got some great photos of the librarian." His eyebrows furrowed in. "I think she was my 3rd grade teacher. I'm not sure."

"Did you say hi?"

He shook his head. "No. I would feel really bad if that wasn't her. Besides, the more I think of it, she was too young to be my teacher. Or maybe I thought of her as older because I was only what, four feet tall."

Kristi smiled warmly at the thought of a younger Peter. "I can just picture you in 3rd grade."

He couldn't tell if there was humor or seriousness. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing bad!" she said defensively. "I'm just saying, I can picture a mini Peter Parker." Her eyes wandered from in front of them and glimpsed at him with mischievousness.

"Mini Peter Parker! Geez..."

"I bet you were one of those kids who was really hyper and you just mellowed out over the years."

"No...I was shy," Peter said quietly.

"You can be shy but hyper."

"Well I mean, I didn't run around with my underwear on my head."

A brief thought past through her head. Promptly afterward she said with a loud laugh. "Oh God, I just got an image..."

"I was a good kid. Aunt May never said anything really bad about me. Well, there was that one time I ate green paint..."

"You what!"

"I thought it was tapioca pudding! I wanted some before dinner and you know the whole dinner then dessert thing...well, I couldn't wait. It was as innocent mistake."The two had reached a small Italian café. Holding the door for Kristi, Peter followed after her. The room was covered with green, red and white. A small man murmured something to them while escorting them to a table. He handed them their menus and went scurrying off somewhere.

Getting comfortable in her seat, Kristi said quickly, "Well...if it makes you feel better, I used to take the mayonnaise off of my sandwiches and put them in the paste jars. My mom always put mayo on my sandwiches and I told her I didn't like it, but on the days she would forget or get our sandwiches mixed up, I would do that."

His jaw dropped in disgust. "That's gross."

"No...you wanna see gross? Try opening that jar of paste with the mayo a few days old, NOT being refrigerated. That is some nasty stuff."

"Man you were bad."

"Nu-uh, I was sweet as a sugar cube."

He rolled his eyes sarcastically. "You seem it."

"Hey paint eater, you don't have room to talk."

"I guess I don't. Word from the not so wise: Don't ever eat paint."

"Don't ever mix paste with mayo." The waiter came back for their drink orders. A few moments later, he returned and asked for their selections.

While waiting for their food, Kristi drummed her fingers on the table. "Have you done you confirmed your scheduling for school?"

 "Uh huh. You?"

 "Uh huh. I did it this morning. I've got so much stuff to do. I've got Martin again and I need to get a new calculator because I stepped on the other one and now its kaput." Peter's eyes were staring at her slender fingers in deep concentration. "What's wrong?"

 "I was looking at your ring. It's beautiful.  I've never seen you with it before."

Kristi's dark eyes fell on her finger. "It's my mother's engagement ring.  I would wear it around my neck, but I haven't bought a chain for it."

Peter's shoulders fell slightly. He wanted to kick himself. Reaching for her hands, he cupped her smaller ones within his own. "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to-"

Kristi shook her head. "Don't be sorry.  I'm okay with it." With a sigh, she said confidently, "I'm okay with everything."

There was silence at the table for a moment. Take a swallow of his Dr. Pepper, Peter said quickly, "I haven't gone shopping for school yet either.  Why not go together?"

Kristi's eyes were concentrating on the elaborate table cloth underneath her fingers. Looking up, she said in a quiet tone, "I'd like that."

He nodded his head. "Good."

"Good." Peter kept his eyes on her. He really hated himself now. She was laughing and joking and smiling and then he brought up the ring...stupid! 

Just as he was about to ridicule himself some more, his ears perked up. Dean Martin.

In Napoli where love is king  
When boy meets girl here's what they say

Peter cleared his throat and began to imitate Dean Martin:  
  
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie  
That's amore  
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine  
That's amore  
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling  
And you'll sing "Vita bella"  
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay  
Like a gay tarantella  


Kristi's jaw dropped as she playfully hit Peter on the hand. "Oh God Pete stop."

He gave an innocent look. "Why?"  


When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool  
That's amore  
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet  
You're in love  
When you walk in a dream but you know you're not  
Dreaming signore  
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli  
That's amore  


This was the funniest thing in the world to her. Kristi stared at Peter's face as he contorted it to hit certain notes. He wasn't really singing, but damn...Such a goofy boy. "Peter, you are a special boy..."

He kept his eyes shut as he swayed his head to the music. "I know I am. Sing with me..."  


(When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie  
That's amore  
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine  
That's amore  
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling  
And you'll sing "Vita bella"....  
Hearts will play.....tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay  
Like a gay tarantella  
Lucky fella  


When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)  
That's amore  
(When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet  
You're in love  
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not  
Dreaming signore  
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)  
That's amore, (amore)  
That's amore

Peter opened his eyes and looked at Kristi's face. "Now why didn't you sing with me? You are like, the karaoke queen."

Kristi leaned back into her chair. "I'm just playin' it cool...down playing everything for a while."

"You're with me right now, how is that downplaying?" He saw her about to open her mouth. Quickly, he place his hand over it. "On second thought....don't answer that. Just...don't." He just knew some sort of smart remark was going to come out. It just had to.

Kristi smirked into his hand in humor. He knew her too well. His hand was still clasped over her mouth, so she opened her mouth and nipped him with her teeth. He pulled back quickly. "You're a biter too! That kinda hurt."

She scoffed at him. "No it didn't."

"Yeah it did. See that? I got red teeth marks on my palm now...thank you very much!" 

She glimpsed into his extended palm. She knew she hadn't bit him that hard. She didn't get enough flesh to do it that hard. Looking at his pouting face, she held his hand and kissed his palm. "Did that make it better?"

"No."

"No?"

"No. Wanna know why?"

"Yes I would."

"I injured myself from the shock of your brutal behavior."

Injured himself? Kristi was confused. "Well I mean, where else did you hurt yourself?"

"Out of pure fright, I bit my lip."

Her eyebrow rose. "You want me to take the blame for you biting your lip?"

"It was a reflex. Shock is a strong emotion." Her eyebrow rose higher. "Okay...I'll stop. I would just like a kiss." He blinked for a moment. Wow...he was becoming more and more blunt. Adding some humor, he said, "That's all...I think I deserved it, you nearly took off my hand. If you were hungry all you had to do was say so. I know I probably taste better than most foods, but lets not go to cannibalism! I mean, we are in a restaurant."

Kristi placed her palm on his cheek as she rolled her eyes at his antics. "You are a sweet heart..."

He sighed before answering. "I know."

..........................................................  
  
The few days passed and everything was basically back to normal. Kristi was off from work that day when she remembered she was to go to her mother's firm to discuss her will....at the same time she was to go school shopping with Peter. Certainly he'd understand this...they had about three days before school started. Dialing quickly, she heard the phone ring three times until she heard someone pick up. "Pete, hey."

Peter smiled over the phone. "Hey Kris.  What's up?"

 "Do you think we can go school shopping another day? I'm sure we'll be able to get our stuff, but something came up about my mother."

 Peter nodded his head. "Sure that's fine."

 "Thanks a lot Pete. Maybe we can meet up at coffee shop?"

"Sure... I'll call you when I get home from the Bugle."

"Okay."

"Well I'll let you go okay?"

"Okay."

"Bye Kris."

"Bye Pete.." Kristi hung up the phone promptly and proceeded to go to her room to get dressed.

The building was at least thirty stories high. She walked through the double doors and peered around. There were many people is suits scurrying back and forth across the bottom floor. The person who had called her told her to meet him on the 25th floor, office 26 B. She had visited her mother many times before, so she knew her way around the building fairly well.

Once she reached the room, she knocked on the door softly. Hearing a "come in," she opened the door and looked around. She recognized only once face and that was Charles Edwards. He often came to her mom's Christmas parties or helped her with a case or vice versa. Another man was in the room, a caramel, lanky man who lounged in the chair next to Charles. 

Charles stood up quickly when he made eye contact with her. "Ah Kristina! Hello there. Please," he pointed to a black leather chair, "have a seat."

She felt like she was in grade school and that she had been sent to the office for being bad. Charles still had friendly mannerisms, but it was obvious that he was attempting to have a serious business facade about this.

The caramel skinned man cleared his throat. "We've called you here to go over you mother's will. But first let me extend my condolences to you." Kristi just nodded her head solemnly. She was getting tired of the sorry's. Clearing his throat again, he said, "Your mother has accumulated quite a bit of wealth, according to her will." 

"He goes straight to the point," she thought bitterly.  

He glimpsed down at some paperwork. "She leaves you everything except two large monetary  sums to her mother, the firm, and to the cancer foundation. All else is left to you.  A trust fund of  $471,306 in a your name, $450,600 in stock, $400,097.42 in her bank account, and $1,191,862 in her Swiss bank account.  The total comes to:  $2,513,865.42."

Kristi nearly jumped out of her chair."What!"

"Yes.  That does not include the account put aside for your education."

This was unbelievable! She began to stutter. "How did she have…she never-"

 "I take it she never talked with you about her finances?"

 "Never.  I mean, I knew she was well off and money wasn't really ever a problem for her, but how…"

Charles jumped in this time. "Trust funds that had matured, a Swiss bank account that, from the looks of it, had been receiving deposits for almost ten years.  Good investments with your deceased father…It all adds up."

Kristi sat in the chair frozen. Just that quickly, everything changed. What would she do with all that money! Lord knows she didn't need it...it was ludicrous. "My grandmother. What about her-"

 "$863,245."

 "Wow…."

 "Everything has been taken care of.  The funeral arrangements have been paid in full, by word of her will and the rest goes to her benefactors, which would be you and her mother."

Kristi just shook her head. "Mom, mom…mom."

The caramel man eyed her. This was going to take longer than he thought. Nina Devun was a gold mine. Of course she would leave money to the firm...but such a large amount! In order for them to get their money, her daughter had to get the ball rolling. Otherwise...."We understand that this must be quite a blow to you...but it is absolutely essential that we get the paperwork processed today."

Kristi's eyes widened incredulously at the man. Charles, sensing her rising anger, intervened. "Kristina, it is not absolutely necessary that you-"

"Oh no....let us go ahead and get this over with. I'm sure lots of people have money to get..." she said. She knew what this was leading to...her mother had warned her far too many times of the money grubbers in this place....

Kristina stayed at the firm for a few hours. They needed a notary and there were at least a dozen papers for her to sign, legal procedures. By the time she got home, it was already two. She sat around her house in a daze, waiting for Peter to call. He didn't have to go in for work until 1:30 and they were supposed to have gone shopping in the morning. "Oh well..." she thought. She had to go to work for three, so school supplies would have to wait until later.

She jumped out of her chair when she heard the phone ring. "Hello?"

"Kris hey!" It was Peter. "What happened with your mom?"

"Um…some lawyers went over her will today."

Peter's shoulders dropped. Going over a will had to be tough. It was a constant reminder..."I know that had to have been hard."

"She…left me, 2.5 million dollars Pete."

"What!" The few people that were around him gave him strange glances.

"I couldn't believe it."

His hand ran through his brown hair. "I don't know what to say. Congratulations is pretty bad, but um…well wait, what's wrong?"

"She never told me she owned so much!  She just…she didn't tell me."

"I guess she felt she didn't need to."

"Peter what am I going to do?  I don't need all that."

She sounded as though the world had crashed in. "Kris…first rule of living in the real world:  you always need money.  Are you okay…seriously?  You don't sound too happy."

"I'm in shock really. I just…I'm in shock!  I don't really have that much to be happy for. Look at the circumstances."

He nodded his head. "True.  Well, what are you going to do?"

"Um, well first I gotta go get going to work before I'm late.  Maybe we can do something later?"

"Okay." He glimpsed at his Timex watch before speaking again. "We've got a small interview to do here.  It shouldn't take long.  Call me when you get off."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"Bye." Kristi hung up the phone and proceeded to get dress for work.

Elsewhere in New York, Doctor Benjamin Stratford left the large complex in a daze. What had he done? This girl's mother was dead because of him. He had to get of the city....what about the girl? She needed to know in order to protect herself. From what he heard, they hadn't been following her lately since the mother thing...they needed to lay low, but they had sent her something, something with hormones, that much he was sure of. He ran a hand nervously through his hair. He had to get word to her. He could only be fearful about what could happen if he didn't. What happens if they went after someone else? He'd get in touch with her...sooner or later. Sooner he hoped....


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Kristina got home from work later than she had hoped....so much for doing something with Peter....she had the night, so that was okay.  
  


The next morning, Kristi had to leave for work sooner than she would have liked...8:30. She had to open the shop. She couldn't have lunch with Peter because his lunch break was at 12:00 while hers was at 1:00.   
  


Kristina turned on her cd player and put it on shuffle before looking in her closet for something to wear. She started swaying to the hard guitar sounds that came from the speakers.  


The film they show is  
sad and boring  
The morning shot from a   
diving bell  


Forgetting you is like  
breathing water  
There's got to be a  
better way  


Dynamite.....

Dynamite.....  


Her mind was plagued with many things. It seemed to suffer little or no peace at all. Her mother's death was probably one of the biggest blows dealt to her in her life, besides her father's death. Everything felt funny. It felt like life had been building up to a big climax and her mother's death was turning point for it to go downhill.  
  


A thing you said once  
made me wonder  
What can go away as  
fast as love  
  


First the light and  
then the thunder  
I've been up all night and I  
got it now  


Dynamite....

Dynamite....  
  


She was planning on getting some Notre Dame football tickets for when they played Maryland for Peter's birthday. The game was being held in New York, so that turned out perfectly. Those tickets didn't run cheap either...$125 per ticket. She could wait until the last minute to get them, but those tickets usually sold out quickly.   
  


She had already been planning it and had the tickets on stand-by. Kristina pulled her newly slicked hair back into a loose ponytail. She called her cousin in Indiana, who goes to Notre Dame, and asked him to get a big card for her and ask the coach if he could get the players to sign it. He'd love them...she was sure of it. For not being very sports oriented, Peter sure liked watching college football. Wrapping the dark hair slowly, she made a bun. She placed a hand on her hair to keep it in place while the other scouted her dresser for bobby-pins.  


All day I  
did things slowly  
I walked in circles

round your home  
  
I had something to add to the things 

you showed me  
I've got it here under  
neath my coat  


Dynamite

Dynamite  


Kristi made a quick glance around her room before exiting. When she reached her front door, she nearly stumbled over something....flowers. Roses to be exact. Kristi bent down and picked the bouquet up. They were beautifully laced with purple on the outer edges, white petals with faint yellow mixed in. She brought them inside.   
  


Pulling a white card out, it read, "For you after your mother's departure. Wrapped delicately with care." Her brown eyes fell onto the wrapping. The roses were wrapped tightly not in plastic wrap, but some sort of weird tissue paper. There seemed to be moisture leaking from it. When she tried to pry it open, she cut herself. She made a quick yelp as she removed the flowers carefully from her hand, the thorns still inside of her skin. Promptly she dropped them while inspecting her hand. Her index finger and palm on her right hand were bleeding... a lot  
  


She walked quickly to the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel. Wiping her hand, she applied pressure to the cuts to stop the bleeding. From what she could see, it was a pretty deep cut. How could rose thorns make such a deep cut? "Why were they still on there?"she asked out loud. Glimpsing at the clock, she saw that if she stuck around any longer, she'd be late. Opening a few drawers, she pulled out some band aids, placing a small one around her finger and a big one on her palm. She quickly cleaned off any remaining blood and headed for the door. Using her paper towel, she picked up the roses and placed them on the coffee table. She then left for work.   
  


The day was long and strenuous. Five girls were having a sweet sixteen party and all the people going were recommended to go none other than where Kristi worked. It was well past one and the shop was still busy. Not only was there a sweet sixteen party, but a wedding with dresses that needed to be picked up and adjustments that needed to be made. So much to do....  
  


Kristina gripped her head with one hand as she squinted her eyes tightly. The bride had brought in her five-year-old cousin to try on her flower dress. This particular five year old did not like the color sky blue. "But honey, this is what cousin Amanda has as one of the colors in her wedding," a short woman said pleadingly.  
  


"I don't care! I don't like blue! Why can't you be like Cinderella when she was with her mean sissy's and have a pink dress for me!" the little blonde girl whined. She started hopping up and down. "I WANT PIIIIINNNKKK!" Her small pudgy hands threw the dress down.  
  


The short brunette gripped her own head. Bending down quickly to pick up the dress, Amanda said, "Kaleigh Anne Sanchez, you know better than throwing down clothes!"  
  


Kaleigh began to hop up and down again. "I want PINK!" she wailed at the top of her lungs.  
  


Kristi squinted her eyes once more as the pounding in her head began to increase. Amanda sighed loudly as she licked her bottom lip. Turning to Kristi, she said quickly, "I'm terribly sorry for this. She's never misbehaved so badly before."  
  


Kristi shook her head. "That's okay...but do you think you can get her to keep it down some? I'm not trying to be rude, but there are other people in here."  
  


"I totally understand." Amanda turned to Kaleigh. "Kaleigh...you'll look just like a princess...remember, you're gonna have the tiara and-" A loud sound of wails came up again. "Kaleigh stop it!"  
  


"No, I won't look like a princess! All the other princesses don't got blue dresses!"  
  


Kristi jumped in quickly. "No...Princess Aurora had a blue dress." Her tired eyes eyed the small dress. "It looked just like this one."  
  


"Who is princess Ar-ora?" she pronounced.  
  


"Aurora is the princess in Sleeping Beauty. Have you seen that movie?" She bobbed her blond head. "Didn't she look pretty?"  
  


Her little lips said quickly, "Uh huh! Can I be princess Ar-ora?" she asked while looking back at her cousin.  
  


"You sure can, but you won't be able to if you keep acting bad."  
  


"I won't be bad no more. I promise."  
  


Amanda sighed loudly. "Thank you...so much."  
  


Kristi just shook her head slowly. "It's no problem. I have a little cousin who is going through a blue phase and she used Sleeping Beauty."  
  


"Thank you so much..." Amanda looked back to the little girl. "C'mon, you have to try this on okay?" The girl nodded her head.  
  


Kristi said quickly, "Just tell me if you need any help." She watched them make their way to the dressing room. Turning around quickly, she saw some people standing at the register, the register that Amy was not tending.... Her head was hurting like crazy. Katie was in back getting some of the dresses and Carla and Myra were off with three of the sweet sixteen girls and their mothers. It seemed like everyone else was at lunch or at home: Beth, Ashley and Tanisha. Kristi made her way to the register.  
  


"It's about time we've gotten some service," the woman in front said sassily. Kristi gritted her teeth as she heard the words leave the woman's mouth. Some people really did have some nerve, especially when they saw that they were busy with only four people.  
  


Breathing in deeply, Kristi plastered a smile on her face as she looked up. "Did you find everything you needed?"  
  


"Yes, and some things I did not need." She hastily shoved her items toward Kristi. "Let me just be the one to complain about the slowness of this shop and the mere fact that you can't control some of your customers." She scoffed. "Allowing them to bring in their children in here when they are going to rant and rave like nobody's business!" Kristi smiled to herself at that thought. If this wasn't the pot calling the kettle black... "That is just horrible business and I for one will not recommend this place."  
  


Kristi scanned the shoe box quickly while placing it into a bag when she sniffled. "If you have a problem or complaint, please, feel free to call the shop manager." Kristi stopped talking for a moment to hold her nose. She promptly sneezed, turning her head away from the rowdy customer. "Excuse me," she said with a quick sniffle.   
  


"I should say! That Carla girl, I don't even know if you could call it help, did not even stay with me to make sure everything was okay."  
  


That didn't sound like Carla. "Did you tell her you wanted her to stay?"  
  


"No."  
  


"Did you say you needed anything else?"  
  


"No. I said I didn't, but the mere fact that she went off to go to someone else speaks magnitudes!"  
  


Kristi restrained her eyes from rolling. The last thing she needed was for this woman to get on her about that too."But you needed no help, ma'am."  
  


"She is here to serve me!"  
  


Kristi stopped punching in buttons long enough to look the woman in the face. "Excuse me ma'am, but we are not here to serve you, we are here to assist you. And your total is $128.73."  
  


"I think I should get a discount for being treated so badly," she said while writing a check hastily. "You shouldn't even been so flippant."  
  


"Look, would you quit your complaining, pay and get out of here. There are other people here too, you know!" a woman said from the line.  
  


The woman looked up quickly and turned her head quickly. Turning her head back to her check, she tore it out and put it on the counter. Kristi cleared her throat for a moment. "Have a nice day." The woman scoffed, grabbed her bags and strode out of the store quickly. Kristi breathed heavily. She could only hope the rest of the day wouldn't go like this.  
  


"Don't pay any attention to her." Kristi reopened to her eyes to some kind gray ones looking back at her. They belonged to a small elderly woman who was holding some shoes. "You're doing a fine job."  
  


Kristi gave her a small smile. "Thank you. It's kind of hard since we're short handed today. It feels like everyone in New York is buying something from here." There were only two other customers with complaints, none as bad as the first one though. Kristi stayed at the register until it was all clear, which took thirty minutes.   
  


She felt a tap on her shoulder and she whirled around. "You can take a break Kris."  
  


Kristi exhaled loudly. "Amy, where were you! You were supposed to be here," she glimpsed at her watch, "twenty minutes ago! We were completely swamped!"  
  


Amy's eyes wondered around the full shop. "Still looks it."  
  


Kristi chuckled while she shook her head slowly. "Oh no...it was worst....screaming five year olds, angry customers who think we are servants." She rubbed her temples carefully. "You really lucked out."  
  


"Well me and Tanisha are here, you can take your break."  
  


"No, I'll wait for a couple of the people to clear out and then-" Achoo!, "then I take a break."  
  


Amy looked at Kristi's slumped form. "Kris, go get somethin' to eat. We got it."   
  


Kristina nodded her head submissively, too tired to fight. She proceeded to the back room where the refrigerator was. Pulling out her salad and fork, she plopped down into one of the brown chairs and placed her elbows on the table. She took her packet of salad dressing off of the salad and tore the top open slowly.  
  


She placed her palm to her head and gripped her forehead as she poured the creamy caesar dressing over the crisp lettuce. She wasn't hungry, though she knew she should be. She skipped breakfast and it was well approaching 2:30. She lifted her plastic fork and stuck it into the green leaves. She took a bite of it. Lettuce never tasted so good....it was so cold and the dressing was tangy. It felt great, until she worked it down her throat. It was hard to swallow the bits, so she got up and got a plastic cup with some water in it. She attempted to eat again. It was 2:46 when she looked at the clock again. She hadn't eaten half of the salad and she had no appetite at all. Pushing the Tupperware container aside, she placed her head onto her arms, letting part of her face hit the cool surface of the table.  
  


"Kristi?"  
  


Her brown eyes looked up drowsily. "Hmm?"  
  


It was Myra speaking to her. Myra was a staggering 6'1 Hispanic girl with a small Italian accent. Kristi always was puzzled as how that came about. "Are you okay Kris? You don't looka so good."  
  


Kristi sniffled again. "I don't feel so good either."  
  


Myra reached over and placed her large palm on Kristi's forehead. "Girl, you got a fever."  
  


Kristi sniffled again. "Nu-uh, your hands are freezing."  
  


Myra shook her head. "No, you are justa really warm."  
  


Kristi slowly raised her head. Sighing she said quickly, "Myra, I'm fine."  
  


"Yeah, yeah," Myra said as she rolled her eyes at Kristi's form. Taking Kristi's plastic cup, she refilled it with water. Placing it back onto the table, she said warmly, "Take care of yourself, hmm?"  
  


"I will." Myra was always the one in the group who was always worried about everybody's health. "Thanks for the water."  
  


"No problem," she said as she walked out the back door. "Tell Carla that I'm going to Wendy's and that I'll pick her up something."  
  


Kristi nodded slowly as she placed her head back onto the table. "Okay."  
  


"Hey Kris?" Kristi lifted her head once more. "Justa think, you have tomorrow and Sunday off to get some resta."   
  


Kristi bobbed once in her seat. "That was my jump for joy. No sarcasm intended, I promise." Kristi reached for the cup of water and took another swig of it.  
  


It was eight that night when Kristi closed the shop up. Her head still hurt her, a constant drumming in her head. She didn't bother to take off her clothes when she got home. She went straight to her room, laid down on her canopy bed, and placed her head on the cold, silk sheets. For a moment, there was peace....  
  


Then the phone rang.  
  


A small groan escaped her lips as she reached for the ringing object. "Hello?" she croaked out.  
  


"Kris!" Peter said with enthusiasm until it registered in his mind that she did not sound so good. "Are you okay?"  
  


"I guess so," she said with a sniffle. "I think I caught something."  
  


Peter knew Kristi's eating habits weren't the best thing in the world since her mother's death. It would be no real surprise to him if she did have something. "Do you want me to come by?"  
  


"No...I'll be all right I think." She sat up slowly in her bed and hugged a pillow. "It's probably something that some sleep can cure."  
  


It didn't sound like it was tiredness...it sounded like a cold. "Are you coming out tonight?" The last thing she probably needed was to come out as Black Rose in the New York air. Who knows, maybe some air was what she needed. He had already been concocting a speech in his head for when she said yes, because he knew she would.  
  


"I'll try to."  
  


Trying not to give her a lecture, he shortened everything to two sentences. "Okay, well I'll talk to you later. Don't stay out too late...get some rest."  
  


She held her hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. "Yes sir..."  
  


Dazed state of mind and she STILL had jokes. "Bye Kris."  
  


"Bye Pete." Click. Peter was beginning to worry about her. It seemed that lately she had been running herself ragged or something. There was always something she was doing. She probably just ran her body down from stress.  
  


Kristina stayed out only until 11. She was in no condition to be swinging or doing anything in the air when she could barely think straight. There was one point where her webbing didn't come out of her right wrist and she did a free fall that is, until her left webbing caught a building. She chalked it up to exhaustion. She went home and peeled all of her clothes off except for her sports bra. She grabbed some boxers, slipped them on, and crawled under her sheets. Her hot skin, sticky from sweat made because of fever, felt like it was scorching her silky sheets. Everything felt so cold against her skin, everything just felt cold, but she was sweating all night.  
  


Peter had to be at work for 11 that Saturday morning. He got up at nine to get ready for work. He wanted to see Kristi before he left. He had already called to make sure she was there and she sounded so pitiful. It only made him speed up...  
  


Peter reached her floor and walked to her door. She told him she'd have the door unlocked.  
  


He pulled the door open and glimpsed around the room. "Kris?" He heard a faint cough coming from the upstairs section. His foot steps padded across the carpeted steps. Reaching her bedroom, the door was already slightly cracked. Knocking softly, he said quickly, "Kris?"  
  


Kristina was laying on her futon with her head at a weird angle, staring at her ceiling. She made a small cough. Turning her head to the soft knocking, she said, "Hey Pete."  
  


Peter stepped into the dimly lit room. She had her Christmas lights on and her curtains drawn to block out the sun. He could hear the soft melody from Prince's Diamonds and Pearls. Hearing her make a soft sigh, he walked slowly to her stretched out form. He knelt down next to her and peered at her. He could only imagine how she felt. In July, he caught some sort of bug and she was there to play Nurse Joy, so...he decided to play nurse...Joe. "Well aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" he said humorously.  
  


She squinted her eyes for a moment for good measure. "Sore eyes, you got that right." Her eyes did hurt from the bright light. Her headache increased with every extra watt of light that entered her room it seemed.  
  


Taking her hand, he started to stroke it slightly. "What happened?"  
  


She shrugged her limp shoulders while shifting her body weight to make room for him to sit down. "I dunno. Looks like a bug."  
  


He took his palm and placed it on her forehead. He felt her shrink back slightly from the shock of what felt like, icy fingers on her hot forehead. Her skin was clammy and warm. "It's probably because of the change in weather." The weather had been changing quickly, cold fronts then rain, then 80 degrees. Nathan and Marie had been out with bugs since the weather shifted.  
  


She coughed to clear her throat. "Maybe so."  
  


"Maybe you should take a lukewarm shower...to cool you off some."  
  


"I've already taken two today. I took some Tylenol and drank three glasses of water. I'm hoping the Tylenol will kick in soon."  
  


His cerulean eyes stayed on her form. She was looking smaller and smaller it seemed, ever since her mother died. Every time he got sick when he was little, he always wished his mother could take care of him. He loved Aunt May and she was and is like a mother to him...but there is just something about a mother's touch. He sighed softly before laying down next Kristi and draping an arm around her. He could only imagine that she had been wanting her mother with her, just to hold her... His strong left hand slowly massaged her stomach. Her ab muscles were emitting so much heat through her black camisole. He scooted his right arm underneath her and pulled her closer to him as he nuzzled his head against her sweatier one. He murmured, "I'm sorry..."  
  


By instinct she scooted next to him and sighed. "What are you sorry for?"  
  


His eyes stayed on a Christmas light bulb. "Cause...you got sick."  
  


A small smile tugged at her lips. "Please...don't apologize for that."  
  


He shrugged his shoulders while wiping some sweat from her head. She did feel really warm. He shifted his body once more in order to prop himself up. Staring at her brown eyes he asked quickly, "Do you want anything?"  
  


She sighed slowly as she heard Anita Baker's Sweet Love, come onto her speakers. She shook her head slowly while closing her eyes. "No, I'm okay." Peter shook his head at her. She was always saying she was all right. When would she ever admit that she needed something?   
  


His eyes fell on her closed ones. He sighed. It amazed him how peaceful and beautiful she looked to him even in a sickly state. He leaned down and kissed her closed eyes, the right one and then left. His lips moved to the tip of her semi flat nose, and finally to her lips. When he pulled his face up, he saw a small grin on her face. "You better stop before you get sick again."  
  


Peter shrugged his shoulders as he laid his head into her shoulder. "I'd risk getting sick from you any day...."  
  


She gave a small chuckle as she patted his hand. "Don't make that day be today though..."  
  


"As you wish." They just laid there together for a while with only Kristi's coughs and the soothing music of her mixed CD as the only sounds in the room. If Peter a year ago could have seen him today, he wouldn't have thought it was the same person. Showing affection was something that was so out of his league, so out of his grasp that it seemed funny that he would be experiencing this now. He never hugged a girl like this, he never laid with one like this, he'd never been in one's bedroom, with the exception of his cousin Ann, until now. He could almost grin to himself. He could remember many times when those thoughts were just delusions from his post pubescent mind.   
  


He loved it...he loved every minute of it.   
  


It was an incredible thing to experience something like this fully, for the first time in his life. It wasn't just the fact that he was with someone, he was with Kristi...HIS Kristi. It was euphoria. He never wanted to think of a moment when he wouldn't have this feeling in his life...the thought would devastate him, the action would crush him.  
  


Kristina loved being in Peter's arms. There was just something about his arms that made everything feel good and safe. She felt good about everything around her. Being with him brought that out. She never hung out with people. That number was relatively zero with the exception of Peter and the girls from work and the occasional person in her class. Peter was probably her rock...one of the few things she could depend on and one of the only things in the world that she really did cherish. She would do anything to protect him...  
  


Peter glimpsed at his watch. It was already 10:35. "Kris?"  
  


Her eyes were closed, inhaling deeply. "Hmm?"  
  


"I gotta go to work."  
  


Kristi yawned slowly, trying to hide her disappointment. "O...kay." She reopened her eyes to the sounds of Peter shifting to get up. She watched with lazy eyes as he stood up and straightened his clothes and smoothed his hair down. She made a small smile. Damn he was cute.....

He felt her eyes on him. When he looked down, he raised an eyebrow. "What are you smiling at?"  
  


She shifted her body so she would be laying on her side. "You."  
  


"What? Do I have a cowlick or somethin?" He went to her mirror and smoothed down his hair, looking for any strands standing up.  
  


Kris sat up on the futon and turned her head to one side to watch him. "No...you're just too freaking cute."  
  


His cheeks flushed as he turned around to face her. Taking a quick bow, he said, "Well thank ya. Even sickly looking, you still look the same."  
  


Her brown eyes got big. "I always look this bad? Pete, why didn't you-" Achoo! "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  


He shook his head at her while he made his way back to her. Sitting down again, he wrapped his arms around her. Rubbing her back, he said softly, "Poor thing...take it easy huh?" Pulling his head away from her shoulder, he said sternly, "Make sure you eat something okay? Get some soup. Do you have some?" She nodded her head. "Okay...well make sure you fix yourself some. And drink lots of water. I'll come by to check on you when I get off of work."  
  


She did not deserve someone like him..."Aren't you suppose to be going to a season opener football game or something tonight with Harry?"  
  


His hand was on her cheek. "I can cancel-"  
  


Her eyes widened. "You goober! Don't you dare!"she exclaimed as she smacked a pillow in his face.  
  


He smiled brightly as he moved her arm and pinned it behind her. "I don't care that much for foozball except for Irish foozball."  
  


"Lady Notre Dame..." she replied in a sing song voice. "I know, but look, don't miss that cause of me. If you do, I swear I'll give you pure hell," she said while pointing a finger in his chest.  
  


He widened his blue eyes innocently. "I'll get hell for coming by to take care of you?"  
  


"Yeah," she said matter-of-factly.   
  


"Where's the gratitude!"  
  


She tilted her head into his palm. "You deserve to go out. It'll be me and Campbell's. Good stuff really."  
  


"Okay..." he said distantly. "Well, take care of yourself."  
  


He leaned in to give her a quick peck on her lips. Biting her bottom lip she said innocently, "Don't I always?"  
  


He gave her a kiss on the head before standing up completely. "Apparently not if you're sick like this."  
  


She dropped her jaw. "It's not my fault! These germies came out of no where."

"Bye Kris."  
  


She coughed for a second. "Bye Peter. Play nicely with the rest of kids."  
  


"Oh I will!" he said as he closed the door.   
  


Kristina was sick all day Saturday and Sunday. When Monday rolled around, it was as though nothing was wrong with her. 64 hour bug maybe? Who knows. But one thing that did leave things not normal was her right hand. Her palm and index finger began to not stick to walls. It would sometimes, it wouldn't other times. A week later, they stopped all together. One day later, her whole right hand stopped sticking to walls. Three days later, the webbing stopped coming from her wrist. She already discussed this with Peter, who was at a loss of words. They had no where to go with this. It happened so subtly that there was no real evidence. Kristi decided to go for help, but who could she trust?  
  


None other than Doctor Thomas Morris.  
  


He agreed to come to her house at six o'clock. She had already explained everything to him on the phone. She was going to meet Peter for lunch at two at CC's to tell him about her getting help from Mr. Morris.   
  


Kristi was sitting in a booth tapping her foot incessantly. Catherine, Cathy to those who know her, came up to her, giving Kristi her regular cappuccino. "Hey Kris, Peter called to say he can't come. They got caught up in an interview."  
  


Kristi slumped her shoulders some. "Okay...thanks Cathy."  
  


Cathy smiled genuinely at her. "Wish I had a man who called the place to tell me he was going to be late." Kristi smiled back to her, a small blush creeping on her cheeks. She was lucky...she was very lucky. "Do you want to order anyway?"  
  


"Um sure. I'll have a turkey sandwich with everything."  
  


"Alright, it shouldn't take too long."  
  


Kristi turned her head back to her cappuccino. She prayed Mr. Morris could figure something out. She was sure he could. He never let her down before.   
  


A man with shifty eyes made his way into the café. Glimpsing around the room, he finally spotted her. Sitting alone....perfect.  
  


Kristi felt eyes on her, so she lifted her head slowly. Her spider sense wasn't going off...He was rather tall, with a long trench coat on and a bag over his shoulder. He stopped at her table and stared down at her after promptly looking around him to make sure he wasn't followed. "Kristina Devun?"  
  


She looked at him warily. "Yes. Can I help you?"  
  


Looking around swiftly, he turned his head back to her. "It's not what you can do for me...it's what I can do for you."  
  


What I can do for you? Sounded like something from a mob movie. "What are you talking about?"  
  


In low tones, he said, "I have information about you."  
  


"What?"  
  


"I have info about your mother's death and...about your possible one."  
  


Her eyes shot up quickly, her senses heightened. Her possible one? "Who are you?"  
  


Sitting down in the booth, he placed his brown sachet on the table. Taking a quick glimpse around the seat, he turned back around swiftly. "I am Doctor Benjamin Stratford. Let me be the one to apologize for your mother's death. I didn't know the information would be used for murder and-"  
  


Kristi jumped out of her seat. Speaking in a hoarse whisper, she said unbelievably, "Murder! What are you talking about!"  
  


"This was murder. I'm here to tell you this so maybe you can save yourself and the people around you."  
  


She couldn't believe this...she wouldn't believe this. "This is ridiculous." She grabbed for her purse quickly, attempting to get out of there as soon as possible.  
  


He grabbed her arm quickly and said in a harsh whisper, "No this is not...BLACK ROSE." She stopped tugging when the heard the last two words. She turned around slowly and faced his cold eyes. Releasing her, he motioned her to sit. "I'm afraid we have many things to talk about. I've got evidence and a few names for you, but that's all. I cannot stay for long so you must listen carefully to everything I tell you. I am a specialist with cancerous tumors and tissue killing agents. The information and research I provided I thought would be used to rid the body of harmful tissue by manifesting something that would break down tissues, not cause a cancerous one to form. I gave them the do's and do not's so the menace would not turn into a tumor, and they used the do nots."   
  


Kristi just sat there, her head partially down, looking at her coffee mug. This...this is impossible. How can any of this be real?   
  


Dr. Stratford looked at her warily, not sure if she was listening to him or too much in shock. "Please, I know this is a lot for you take in, but you must understand, I am sorry. I never meant for anything like this to happen. The only way I found out about it was that conversation would be made in my presence many times...in french. I took French for seven years. Do you have a purse?" She nodded her head. "Good. Here is my personal information on it since all other evidence will be destroyed I'm sure of it. Here's my proof..."he handed her a computer disk and a small yellow memo pad with scribbles on it.  
  


"So they know who I am..."  
  


He nodded his head. "That is correct. They don't know who Spider Man is, but they think they can get you to lead them to him."  
  


"They are going to use me?"  
  


"They are going to use you to bring you both in. They'll use any means necessary. Your mother's death was a message to you to let you know they are still around. This is how they work: they concentrate all of their forces one part of a plan, causing the margin of error to be zero. There was no crime from them for a while because they were all watching your mother, planning and plotting. After her death, they've backed off of investigating you to lay low and regroup. They are concentrating on your family and then, they plan to work their way outward. The people important in your life that aren't family are going to be next if you don't do something."   
  


This was unreal. They couldn't do this...it was a trick. It had to be. Her angry brown orbs stared down Dr. Stratford's blue eyes. Very calmly and very venomously, she said quietly, "You are lying. They sent you here."  
  


He was afraid this would happen. "One of the people in the organization was killed so all services were turned to that. After every thing is set with that, they are going to turn back to you. I've heard the conversations, the whispers. The corruption in City Hall. They are apart of that. The mayor got too close to discovering what was going on with them and corrupt officials and one of their people got killed. They've sent you something...something to do with hormones. It was perhaps two weeks ago, maybe a little less... It's not to harm you, but do something to you...It's potent enough I'm sure to throw your equilibrium off."  
  


Kristi's cold glare melted. Hormones? She shook her head slowly..."My powers..."  
  


His head perked up. "Yes, what about them?"  
  


"The spider like one...they're gone. My reflexes are more sluggish and I'm not as strong."  
  


"Yes. They most likely want you powerless and more submissive. I was unable to get a copy of the formula they used-"  
  


The tears were already beginning to burn her eyes. "Leave," she said shakily,"You're one of them."  
  


"I wouldn't have put my life on the line in order to tell you this would I have?"  
  


"All part of the plan right?" she said bitterly. Deep down...she knew he was right.  
  


"This is no plan! My life is endangered every second I spend talking with you. I have the proof right here. My notes compared to their changes to the formula. I would have contacted you sooner, but I needed to collect my data and store it somewhere safe." He ran a shaky hand through his thinning black hair. "I never wanted your mother killed. I...I never knew what this was I was getting into. If you don't believe me about the plot, research your mother's blood samples the day she died. There should be a chemical compound present in her bloodstream and high amounts. I guarantee no one looked into it being the cause of this because of the magnitude of the tumor. The only thing I can give you is my word. Please you must believe me." He stopped talking abruptly as his face went white. Kristi glimpsed to where his face was turned. Out of a window that was diagonal to where they were stood a man who was walking very slowly...Klefton. Just looking at him made her spider sense go off.  
  


The doctor turned his head toward her's on the verge of tears. "I-I have to go...they've found me. Hide your face!" he hissed. Kristi turned her head quickly. "Please accept my sincerest apologies...please."  
  


"What do I do?"  
  


"Fight this and keep as many people out as possible. Keep your mind strong....they convert you by controlling your mind. I must go...I'll pray for you."  
  


As he sat up quickly, she grabbed his hand. "Let me help you."  
  


"No...I deserve no help for what I've done..." He saw Klefton beginning through the front door. "I must go now...bye Miss Devun." And with that, he walked swiftly to the side exit. Kristi grabbed her purse, the papers and computer disk and went quickly to the woman's bathroom. She stayed in there for what felt like forever but was only five minutes.  
  


She stood in a stall breathing heavily. What was going on? They knew...that's what was going on. Her mom...her moman...it was her fault. It was all her fault. Those bastards! How could they? She plopped down on a toilet seat and started to cry. What was she going to do? She needed to clarify everything the doctor told her...to see if it was true. Hopefully Mr. Morris could help her more than ever now....   
  


When six o'clock rolled around, Mr Morris was at Kristi's apartment, just as he had promised. She asked him about the hormones....if it was possible to suppress her powers. Unfortunately...it was true. The scientists working with the super spiders realized that it didn't lay completely with the DNA. A spider could have that ability but it never be hacked into...why? Because the specific hormones needed weren't being generated. The example he used was puberty. The human body does not reach its reproduction abilities until a certain hormone is released form the pituitary gland. This causes bone growth, growing of hairs, longer limbs, etc.  
  


She then asked him about Dr. Stratford. He knew him well. He had read about his works and made them the basis of his experiments. Basically, the man was legit...so it was true.  
  


"Mr. Morris?"  
  


"Yes?"  
  


"Is it possible that a chemical introduced into the body, could cause the hormones to stop?"  
  


He scratched his head. "Well...yes. I would think so. Chemicals are powerful things."  
  


Kristina put a hand to her head. "How did they do this to me? I never accepted anything to drink or eat..."She removed her hand and began to drum her fingers on the table.  
  


"Well...you said the abilities stopped on one side of the body and then the other. The first to go was in your right hand." She nodded her head. "What events happened within the last two weeks?"  
  


She racked her brain for a moment. "Um nothing really. I went to work...I spent my only free Saturday and Sunday combo in bed."  
  


"Why?"  
  


"I caught a cold."  
  


"Are you sure it was a cold?"  
  


"I mean...I figured it to be one. There was so much stuff going around."  
  


"When did you start feeling bad?"  
  


"Um....it was a Friday cause I was feeling it at work." Her eyes shot to her hand which beared two scars.  
  


Mr. Morris stopped pacing when he heard her stop talking. Following her eyes, he asked quickly, "What are you looking at?"  
  


"I got some roses from an anonymous person about my mother's death. I cut myself from the thorns. The places where I cut myself were the first to lose its abilities."  
  


"Do you still have the roses?"  
  


"Yeah...they're still alive."  
  


"Give them to me....hurry."  
  


...............................  
  


"How are things with our doctor Stratford?"  
  


"He won't be a problem anymore."  
  


DeMarquise smiled devilishly. "Good! Now...are you sure he told her?"  
  


Klefton nodded his head complacently. "I am most positive."  
  


"This is good...my God this is good! Victory is almost at hand. More people will be pushed away and then...he'll be mine." He jumped up quickly in laughter. "This is entirely too much fun! How is Inconnu doing with the whole City Hall thing?"  
  


Klefton shrugged his broad shoulders. "He's handling it fine. Never breaking a sweat."  
  


DeMarquise nodded his head appreciatively. "I'm glad..." He sighed for a moment. "You know Klefton...its good to be working with you again."  
  


"Same here doc..."  
  


.......................................  
  


It was confirmed...the rose thorns contained a chemical unlike anything ever seen in botanical science. So they sent the roses, knew she would cut herself from the razor sharp thorns and now...she was nearly powerless. What would she do now? Peter needed to know about this...

"If they should happen to find out who one of us is, if we should somehow feel that this relationship is damaging to someone else close to us, or our alter egos, what would we do?"

She remembered when she asked Peter that...

As long as she kept mum, Spider-Man would be kept safe. What about Peter though? He can't protect himself all the time...  
  


They've already taken her mother. She REFUSED to let them get to Peter also...  
  


She would protect him...even if it broke her heart.  
  


It was simple: she'd invite him to a public crowded place, a place that would be hard to track any one person and she would tell him what she planned to do...how she would fight this. That's all this was...a battle.  
  


She got two tickets to a New York Yankee game that was as she had hoped: Completely sold out. She mailed him a ticket, being very cryptic about the whole manner. Every time she went somewhere, she was constantly turning around making sure she was being followed. She took a deep breath with every step she took. She kept praying for the strength it would take for her not to cry...  
  


Peter tried to call Kristi to see what was up with the whole sneaking around thing. He hadn't seen her in days...not even at night, though it was rare they met up anyway. And why did she get Yankee tickets? Baseball was never his thing. In middle school when he had to play for a grade in PE, things didn't go to well for him. He could hit the ball pretty good....he just so happened to turn his class mates into targets...  
  


Peter reached his seat finally after climbing over five six year olds, three dads, and three overweight people with their stomachs painted. She said for him not to meet up with her...just see her at the game. He thought that was kinda funny, but it was Kristi.  
  


He wondered if it was part of a surprise for his birthday. It was a only a week or so away. He patted his hands on his jeans, waiting patiently. With every minute that passed, the tension got worse. Instead of excitement, he had a feeling of dread in him, but he couldn't figure out why. He was about to see Kristi...  
  


He smiled just by thinking her name. Since her mother's death, he had more and more thoughts about her. Her presence was just overwhelming. It made him feel so many things...it was unbelievable. Part of his restlessness was owed to the fact that he spent the whole night up. He had been lying in his bed waiting sleep to come while saying prayers. He talked to his Uncle Ben, as juvenile as it sounded. It offered him some comfort though. Then his thoughts fell on Kristi and he said it.  
  


He finally admitted to himself that he loved her.  
  


It could be called nothing else and not me accurately described. It was all love...  
  


Kristi finally reached Peter five minutes into the game. The crowd was screaming, people were standing and popcorn was in the air. Peter tore his eyes away form what was in front of him when he saw the seat next to him become occupied. He looked down and saw Kristi's face.  
  


Sitting down in his own seat, he said with a bright smile, "Hey Kris." He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she moved her face away. His smile fell quickly from the rejection. Had he done something wrong? Turning his body toward her, he asked quickly, "What's wrong?"  
  


'What's wrong?' she thought. 'Most likely my head for doing this...' This was the only way... She took deeps of breaths before swallowing hard. Peter's blue eyes stayed on her pained face. "Kris talk to me...are you hurt?" She shook her head. "Kristi please...talk to me." His own face was breaking with fear.  
  


She licked her dry lips quickly before turning to face him. She moved her mouth once, but nothing came out. Shutting her eyes tightly, she said quickly, "Peter I can't be with you."  
  


Peter blinked a few times. Did he hear her right? "You what?"  
  


She began to shake her head. Her voice breaking with emotion, she said more sternly, "I can't be with you."  
  


Peter grabbed her hands and gripped them tightly. "Wh-what are you talking about?" he stuttered. "Y-you can't...what?"  
  


She shook her head once more while trying to stop the tears from coming to her eyes. "I-I can't.. I need to be by myself...my mo-mother..."   
  


She had begun to push people away. Some people do that after something dramatic in there life, but this couldn't be healthy for her. She looked like a wreck just by trying to get her sentences out. Most people get over it, but why did her denial of him sound so...final? "Look, I know the death of your mother was a real blow, but don't you think you shouldn't be pushing people away?"

She slowed her breathing down. "This is what I think to be right."

"Someone once told me that how you think and feel are two different things."

"This goes beyond simple mourning of a death.  I've been investigating this Pete." She looked down to her hands, removing them gently from his grip. In a flat voice, she said, "My mother was murdered."

He shook his head as if to clear it. Now, she was talking crazy. "What?  Kristi…she had cancer-"

"No!  Her tumor could not have grown that big in that amount of time and it not have effected her drastically.  She died slowly…a tumor that size should have killed her sooner if its growth was natural.  There are chemicals that can cause a tumor to grow like that.  One of those chemicals was found in her blood. Someone gave that to her."

This wasn't making any sense at all to him. "Who would want your mother murdered?"

"Someone getting a message across."

"This could be a coincidence."

She shot her eyes up quickly. "No!  It is not!  I'd be a fool to think so. Instead of a quicker and less painful death, a calm death that she deserved, she was slowly tortured.  I know it." She sighed to herself as she looked out at the crowd of people. They didn't have a care in the world. Why did it feel like everything was put on her now? "Remember the day we were suppose to go for lunch but you got held up by an interview? I went in a coffee shop and  a man came to me.  A doctor. A doctor who specialized in cancerous tumors.  He was hired by DeMarquise."

Peter's ears perked up at the sound of that name. "What?"

"This doctor, he knew how to formulate chemical that breaks down tumors. He said that he was told it was for research, something about learning how to cause growth in certain areas to kill harmful cells. Instead, they reversed the process, causing it to form tumors. My mom already had dormant cancer cells...once the chemical hit, it activated them, causing them to grow at phenomenal rates."

Peter found this a hard pill to swallow. He couldn't believe that Kristi would even consider anything out his mouth, especially after he openly admitted to working for a sicko like DeMarquise. "You believe him?"

"He checked out.  I went home and got on my computer.  His name, credentials, employment, his picture it all checks out. It was him in the pictures, in indexes.  Now if he was lying, how did he know so much about my mother's cause of death and how could these people fabricate so much about this man on a legitimate sites and in medical magazines.  They couldn't have….it would have been impossible. They knew…they knew about her health, and they hit.  They did this to her to get to me.  She died like this because of me…"

He place a hand on her shoulder. "You can't blame yourself for this Kristi.  You couldn't control this."

"Yes I could have. Because of me and my past actions and my affiliations with that damn mask and stupid spider, my mother is dead.  Don't you find it funny that our phantom friend made no appearance, nothing, and now weird things have begun to happen?  You know what that means?  They know who I am.  My powers faded in and out until they stopped altogether."

Peter held up his hand. "Okay, now you're throwing out accusations that you have no proof of-"

"But I do."

Another puzzle piece."What?"

"Yeah.  There were some roses I got before I got sick…that finger that was cut by the rose thorns was the first to stop sticking to walls, then the whole hand and then that wrist stopped shooting webbing and so forth. I cut off the thorn and examined it. For that type of rose, a chemical was found in it that is not found in any roses anywhere.  That rose was fabricated.  It stayed alive without water or anything.  I never put it in water until days after I was 'sick'. It's leaves were still green, and it's petals full of color.  That has to be it.  There was nothing else that I was exposed to that you weren't."

Peter's eyes wondered out to the crowded stadium. The people were still on their feet. Someone had just rounded third. "So this rose…you got cut by the thorn and it had something in it to take away your powers.  Think about this Kris.  This stuff is part of our DNA.  How could it do this?"

"Are you sure it is a part of DNA?"

"How else would we have it then?"

"You know how humans go through puberty?"

"Hormones are sent for growth…hair…."

"What happens if the spider gave us not only DNA, but a chemical in the DNA that was triggered to go off and release a hormone formed from the DNA, a hormone that causes the growing of silk in wrists and the ability to grow the tiny hairs that allow us to stick to walls?"

No...he hadn't thought of that. "If you're right, then it could stop at almost anytime."

"Yeah."

They both sat in silence for about fifteen seconds. Looking down at his sweaty hands, Peter said almost to himself, "So where does this leave us?"

"It leaves me somewhat powerless and out in the open.  They know about me.  I can't ignore that fact now.  They don't know much about you-"

His head rose slowly..."Kris stop…."

"They don't know who you are."

"Kris?"

Firmly, she said, "I want them not knowing who you are and I don't want them knowing that you, Peter Parker, are affliated with me, Kristina Devun."

"Well how would you stop that?" His mind flew back to the first words out of her mouth. His eyes widened as he shook his head in opposition. "Kris don't think like that."

"How else am I supposed to think?  They've gone after my mother. That would be an evident first hit. Who else is special in my life?"

"You don't need to try to protect me.  You won't be with me all the time.  If anything, you need it more than anything."

"I know they're after Spider Man…but I don't want you, Peter, to fall prey to them.  Not now…not like this.  I haven't gotten my powers back and I'm starting to think I won't.  Whatever it is that was done to me, I don't want that to happen to you." She held his hand for a moment.  "I'm a threat to you.  If they should find out-"  

Peter tightened his jaw angrily. "The powers WILL come back. It's apart of who you are. Besides, you won't be a threat. We could hide our relationship," he said spitting out suggestions.

"How Peter?  We don't even know who exactly it is that we would be hiding this from.  We don't know how fully powerful these people are or anything.  Look at what they've done!  Do you want to go into a fight with a pistol when they have a machine gun?"

"It only takes one bullet."

Kristi shut her eyes once more. "We know nothing about them except that they have technology that most scientist dream of."

Peter began to shake his head. He could already feel the moisture forming in his eyes. "Why are you pushing me away?" Why was God doing this to him? He could help her...he knew he could.

"I know you understand why Peter."

He choked out his words in anger and hopelessness. "How can…how can you just sit here and say this like it's the easiest thing in the world?  Don't you care at all about us?"

"Do you know how hard this is?  Do you?"

His anger was beginning to boil over. "How soon we forget the lovely Miss Mary Jane Watson!"

"And what did you do?"

The past was coming back to him...."She wouldn't be able to defend herself." This time, he was on the receiving end...

"Yes and you can, but I'm to the point where I don't know if I'll be able to as efficiently. If they come after me with something else and you get it," she shrugged her shoulders. "What then?"

"So you expect me to leave you when they know who you are and you are basically powerless?"

"Yes.  If they get us both, then what?  Checkmate Pete."

"It's check.  We could easily get out of that.  I'm sure that if these people are as smart as we credit them, there is an antidote somewhere.  There always is."

"And what are you going to do?  Play Mission Impossible, find it, and bring it back?  You can't do that Pete.  And besides, I still have my mental powers.  I won't be completely defenseless.  I know how to fight."

"But Kris-"

She placed her hand over his lips to silence him. "We don't know when my powers will come back. I asked you once before what would happen if our lives become a threat to ourselves and you wouldn't answer me?  Why?  Because you knew what it would mean.  If it was the other way around what would you do?  Would you be so willing to fight this head on while having almost no clue about?" She removed her hand from his mouth. When he said nothing, she sighed and looked down.  "You can't even give me a straight answer on it.  I'm not saying we forget everything pertaining to us, just that we be separated as a precaution.  We have to accept what's in front of us.  I fear everything around us.  Don't you?"

His eyes were burning with anger. He never imagined her to be a quitter...not his Kristi. "No…I'm not in fear. I'm not because I know that there is always someone here for me…that you'll be here for me with or without the mask." He turned his face from her. He couldn't look at her now. "Basically you're saying it's over."

"If I'm not around you, then I can't be of harm to you."

"You want to end a relationship because of this?"

"Peter and Kristina may not be done with, but definitely not Spider Man and Black Rose."  

He turned his head quickly to her and spat angrily and desperately, "It was never Spider Man and Black Rose.  It was and is US, not them."

She could feel herself breaking with every moment with him..."Peter, we don't know what's going to happen. We need to stop things now before something else happens."

"Stop things? Forgive me if I can't turn feelings on and off like a water faucet.  I wouldn't be able to do it.  It's a horrible time to stop it now.  How can you sit there and be so sure about this?  Just tell me something Miss Devun, why aren't you willing to fight?"

"This is my way of fighting." 

He threw his hands up exasperated. "Of fighting what? Some invisible phantom who you're allowing to have more control over your mind than you wanted?  Is that who you're fighting?  Are you fighting for one of the few things that you ever gave a damn about?  Or are you fighting feelings that you're afraid will leave you with a scratch?  I don't have a clue.  Tell me, what exactly is it that you're fighting for?"

"My way of fighting is making sure whatever happens to me does not happen to you."

He crossed his arms defiantly, a scowl tight on his lips. He couldn't accept this...not at all. "What happens if I don't accept that fighting?"

"Peter, I will not in any way, shape or form going to do something to jeopardize you like this. You must I understand care.  I'm not trying to end the relationship, but we can't be seen together or talk together.  You, Peter, associated with me is far too much of a threat.  As for Spider Man, no, because he can fight. Peter Parker can't."

"I can fight!"

"No Peter, not like Spider Man.  You pull his moves in public and then what?  You'll be found out.  That can't happen.  By doing this, Peter is being protected."

"So you decided to risk my health to tell me this now."

"That's why I chose this baseball game. No one is watching us and even if they were, they'd have to be pretty close to hear what's going on because its so full." She looked at his tight face. He had already turned his head so he wouldn't be looking at her. She had hoped this had came out like it was supposed to. She hoped he would understand... "Peter why are you mad?"

What was he mad about? Oh how about the fact that the only person he could openly admit to loving is turning him away from them. That's a pretty good reason to be pissed. "I'm mad at the fact that you're….I don't know.  You don't want to be with me."

She always wanted to be with him, but she couldn't afford to. "No Peter, that's not true."

He held up his palm quickly. "You know what, I'm feeling a little on upset side.  I'll give you what you want since I'd do anything for you, but right now, I'm about to make this about me.  I don't want to talk." When she leaned in near him, he grabbed her shoulders and held her in place. "I want nothing, that's what you wanted right?  Let's see, if I'm going to be an actor about this, about you not being in my life, you not talking with me, everything is going to revert back to when I had no one in my life and when you and I didn't talk, since that is what you want," he said bitterly.

She shook her head quickly. "You know I don't want that."

He smirked at her. "But that's ultimately what you're asking for, right?  If we don't know each other, we aren't a threat to each other, right?"

"No and you know that."

Standing up, he said with anger, "Well, forgive me for not thinking so, but if you'll excuse me…I n-need to be going now."His voice was beginning to break. 

"Peter-"

"Don't…just don't. You've made I choice, now I'm making mine." With that, he made his way out of his row, down the steps and to the stadium entrance. Kristi sat in the seat broken. This wasn't suppose to happen....it wasn't suppose to be like this...  
  


Peter hailed a cab, taking his time, half expecting her to run to him and say she was wrong, but she never came. He shook his head. He should have known better. The Fates always had other plans for him no matter what he did. He found love...and just that quickly, it was taken from him by none other than her.  
  


He walked into his apartment and slammed the door roughly. He 

In my eyes 

Indisposed 

In disguise as no one knows 

Hides the face 

Lies the snake 

In the Sun 

In my disgrace   
  


He went to his room and laid down on his bed. He had hatred for everything now.... Well maybe not hatred, but a lot of anger directed toward the world.  
  


Boiling heat 

Summer stench 

'Neath the black the sky looks dead 

Call my name 

Through the cream and I'll 

hear you scream 

Again   
  


Black Hole Sun 

Won't you come 

And wash away the rain 

Black Hole Sun 

Won't you come 

Won't you come (Won't you come)  
  


He felt so cold and away. She was gone. She wanted to be gone. She wanted be away from him. He had done everything he could for her...but she wanted him gone. Her reasons were in the back of his head, but his mind paid no attention to him. The only thing that registered was that she was placing herself away from him personally.  
  


Stuttering 

Cold and damp 

Steal the warm wind tired friend 

Times are gone 

for honest men and sometimes 

Far too long for snakes 

In my shoes 

A walking sleep 

And my youth I pray to keep 

Heaven send Hell away no one 

sings like you anymore   
  


The more he thought about it, the more his anger turned into spite. He knew her intentions were noble, but he couldn't help but be mad at her. He needed to release this. It was such a horrible thing really... he wanted someone like her in his life...she was his life line. And now what was being seen was that she had now chosen to stay away from him.  
  


Black Hole Sun

Won't you come

And wash away the rain

Black Hole Sun

Won't you come 

won't you come  
  


Black Hole Sun 

won't you come

and wash away the rain

Black Hole Sun 

Won't you come

Won't you come (Black Hole Sun, black Hole Sun)

Won't you come (Black Hole Sun, black Hole Sun)

Won't you come (Black Hole Sun, black Hole Sun)

Won't you come (Black Hole Sun, black Hole Sun)  
  


Love, love, love was all that was echoing through his head. He loves her...all feelings are being pushed aside now. The numbness is taking over. She's protecting him by underestimating him? Was she really? She didn't know how much he needed her. Just with a touch, she did so much to him. He placed the framed picture of him and her at Spring Break face down. He couldn't bare to look at it now.  
  


Hang my head 

Drown my fear 

Till you all just disappear   
  


His mind wasn't functioning correctly. This was all seen as an attempt to keep him from being happy. This world had taken so much happiness from him...and now this. Slowly, he picked up his phone and dialed seven digits. He needed solace somewhere....  
  


Black Hole Sun 

won't you come

and wash away the rain

Black Hole Sun 

Won't you come

Won't you come  
  


"Hey Mikala, you feel like doing something tonight?"

  
  
  
  


Dynamite- Stina Nordenstam

Black Hole Sun- Sound Garden


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Kristina left the baseball game early. She was never much of a fan. She wasn't much of anything now. Peter's eyes were...so hurt with misunderstanding. She thought for sure he could understand what she meant...  
  


Apparently not. Maybe she hadn't thought this through completely. What kind of person could ask for someone else to stay away from them and not expect them to be upset. What else did she have now?  
  


Fear and remorse.  
  


She actually loved him, he didn't know and wouldn't know. He could always put two and two together, but after this...things were very iffy.  
  


A week and a half later, school started. Peter and Kristina had only two classes together. When Peter walked in, his eyes automatically made their way to Kristina. She was sitting in her seat, not talking to anyone unlike the other students. Swiping some lint off of her black stretch pants, she glanced around the room. There were some familiar faces, but other than that, every thing else was new. From the looks of it, she hadn't seen him because she hadn't turned her head completely around.   
  


His eyes stayed on her for a moment longer before he mentally reprimanded himself. He didn't care about her. What she did was of no concern of his. She wasn't his problem anymore....  
  


And then...he asked for forgiveness for lying like that. Denial was such a blessing, but a curse also. Smoothing out his jeans, he sat in the seat closest to him. He pulled out his blue binder and gave a deep sigh. If things were going to be like this, it was going to be a hell of a year. His blue eyes found their way upward again and back onto her. Her head was leaning to the side, laying peacefully on her palm while part of her dark, somewhat curly tendrils went through some of her fingers. There was nothing peaceful about her face though. It was stern, wistful and-  
  


He shook his head at himself. He was torturing himself if he kept looking at her like that. He felt like an idiot to be looking at her like that...it was stupidity. He, for one, was not about to wallow in self misery. His shoulders slumped in anger. Silly him...he was already there.  
  


Kristi sat in her desk ignoring the murmurs of other students and their conversations. She had her pen on her paper and just let it run wild across her paper while she held her head with her hand. She felt like crap... Nothing was good in her life. Well, the people hadn't done anything else to her. Peter never called her, she didn't call him. She didn't know what classes he had taken, but she was sure she would see him in at least one...that's just how things went.  
  


When class let out, that was the first time she had seen Peter. He had on his navy blue windbreaker with a simple white shirt under it that tucked into his loose stone wash jeans. His face seemed vacant, almost as though he wasn't really there. She had mailed his gift to him the Thursday before and knew that he should have gotten it by now. Biting a fingernail as she walked toward the exit, she made a quick decision to ask him. It wouldn't hurt to ask him a question, right? The game was tonight against Maryland. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to catch up with him.   
  


Peter walked outside quickly, his shoes squishing against the moist ground. Mikala volunteered to pick him up. It was his last class of the day and all he wanted to do was leave.  
  


Spotting Mikala on a nearby bench, he jogged toward her.  
  


Kristi was almost near him when she stopped in her tracks. There he was, helping a very beautiful blond off of the park bench, laughing at something she said. Her heart immediately sank when she saw this. Gritting her her teeth and holding up her head, she began to walk toward him once more.  
  


"Well that doesn't happen every day," Peter said with a small smile. His time with Mikala increased to more than just a working thing. She was filling the void. For once, he actually prided himself in being able to jump to someone else so quickly, even if he was acting like a womanizer.  
  


Mikala chuckled in that cat like voice. "No it doesn't. But c'mon! What kind of guy just pulls his car out like that!" She chuckled once more as she slipped a hand around his back. Peter's body stiffened from the touch, as though he had just gotten dirt thrown on him. He stuck it out though.   
  


He adjusted his book bag, but soon heard a small object land on the stony path. Picking up his pen, he saw Kristi making her way toward him very slowly, as though she was debating on whether to come by him or not. He picked up his pen and allowed Mikala to place her arm back where it was. He heard a faint call of his name, but swiftly ignored it.  
  


"Peter!" Kristi said a voice a little below the sound of a shout. He didn't want to hear her. She didn't care...he was still mad at her because of this whole mess, but she at least wanted to know if he got his birthday gift from her.   
  


Mikala swung her head in an attempt to get some hair from her face. "So are you going to that game tonight, or what?"  
  


Peter shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. In a tired voice he said kind of loudly, "Nope...didn't particularly want to, so I gave the tickets away." He had gotten Kristina's huge card in the mail with the signatures on them along with the two tickets. The card said for him to use the tickets "however you want to,". Just like what was said at the baseball game...he wanted nothing from her. So, he gave the tickets away to some kids he saw on the street.  
  


Mikala eyed him strangely. "How'd you get the tickets?"  
  


"Oh, they were a gift."  
  


"From who?"  
  


He shrugged his shoulders once more. "Just someone." He knew the conversation was loud enough for her to hear...As soon as he said the words, "just someone" he felt remorse. He wasn't mad. He wanted to punish her for not believing that he could handle his own while staying with her. He was to the point that he didn't know what he was saying at that he couldn't believe what he was saying. It didn't sound like him. He was no longer Peter Parker, but the shell of a bitter man had lost his girl...

Kristina walked at her normal speed from then on, diagonal to Peter and Mikala. Well...it's always good to know when your gift is appreciated. She adjusted her Jan Sport book bag and walked away. She never in a million years wanted them to be like this. She never wanted them to truly break up...  
  


Peter had already moved onto someone else. So this was it...it was over...  
  


The next two weeks were rough for both of them. Peter felt guilt every time he saw Kristina. In his head, he saw himself as a bastard. After a few times of reviewing the conversation he had with her at the game, he could understand. He really did...but something lingered in his head that she was hinting at something. All the time she mentioned that Spider-Man could fight and that there could be her and Spider-Man...they were one in the same! His pride puffed up that it was for romantic interest...that she fell for his web slinging alter ego.   
  


Then his heart would jump in. She fell for him long before she knew who he was. He often smiled to himself at the memory of how she told him...  
  


It didn't matter now. He knew he made things worse with her because of the tickets. And then Mikala! If leading people on was an Olympic sport, he would most definitely get the gold. They would go to the movies or something like that. She would move in to kiss him, put he would always push her away gently. When she would grab for his hand to hold, he would stuff his hands in his pockets. He would always look to her for any sign of disappointment or anger, but there was never any. He still didn't feel comfortable around her. He felt as though she was a wolf in sheep clothing.  
  


Kristina was sitting in CC's for the fourth time that week and it was only Tuesday. Her coffee tastes changed: all black, no sugar, no cream, nothing….just like what she had. She stared into the big green mug full of thoughts. She hadn't moved on...she felt loyal to him even though he obviously didn't feel it toward her. The stupid India Arie song playing now that she loved before, was now a constant reminder of what she lost.  
  


Now that you're right here,

Let me whisper in your ear

Now that you're listening,

Let me tell you how I feel

I've been trying to formulate

The perfect words the perfect way

I can't hold it back no more

I gotta let you know today

Its...  
  


Her head was full of doubts it seemed. She hadn't "seen" Peter in almost four weeks and her powers had not returned. Oh sure, they had class together, but her eyes stopped seeing him after the third day. She was in and out of her classes before her dead eyes could even scan the room from him. He always sat in the back somewhere, and her in the front, so that helped. She was well over whatever bug she had, but she felt like crap. Feeling like crap for almost a month is a very long time. Had she done the right thing?  
  


Peter Parker's life was somewhat safe. Spider Man's was kept under wraps, but an unknown enemy exploited her's. So was she right to do what she did?  
  


Simple (What more can I say)

So Simple

I Love you (What more can I say)

Simple (What more can I say)

So Simple

I Love you (What more can I say)  
  


Pushing Peter away may have been the stupidest thing emotionally to do, but her head brought her some solace…  
  


Mikala walked in to CC's with Peter on her arm, smiling brightly. She had actually grown to like the little Boy Scout but he was still so reluctant to her. He hadn't given himself to her, he hadn't even kissed her, but oooh she thrived from the challenge She kissed him twice, but he always pushed her away, she gripped him, he never touched her except to remove her hands from him, yet he kept inviting her to do things with him. She knew about his little hang-up with his girlfriend. She thought it was hilarious, but never let him know that.  
  


Damn boss man kept pestering her to get in his pants. She couldn't deny that she was getting restless from his resistance, even though he was free. Peter had told her a some what different version from what she figured had really gone down: they had differences, so they broke up. It was really cryptic...  
  


But boss man....he was starting to get impatient from what she could see. She knew that if she could nail Peter, in more than one way, there would be no way he'd go back to Kristi. Absolutely no freaking way. Oh well...her charms weren't working, so...it was time to move to the bigger guns...  
  


Peter threw himself into his work and into going out with Mikala. He wasn't being fair to her and he knew it. He was using her to get past his thing with Kristi. He began to think more and more about the things she said. He would have done the same thing most likely, but he just wouldn't bring himself to admit it. He felt as though he'd be abandoning her. Funny, he felt like that now. He hadn't seen her face in those weeks. He knew she was okay because she would come out as Black Rose. They had only two classes together, but no acknowledgement was made. It was to the point where he didn't see her anymore, she was just a memory.. This is why he felt he had abandoned her.  
  


Then he saw her….  
  


Now that you're listening let me tell you what I need

Now that your holding me let me show you what I mean

I've been trying to analyze 

just what it is I feel inside my heart

But now I realize it don't have to be so hard

Cause it's...  
  


What he wouldn't have done to just kiss her, touch her, hold her against him, anything. Then his pride puffed up. 'She pushed you away…remember that,' it would tell him. He was almost to the point of not caring what his stupid pride said, he hurt too much. Perhaps if he went to her-  
  


Simple (What more can I say)

So Simple

I Love you (What more can I say)

Simple (What more can I say)

So Simple

I Love you (What more can I say)  
  


No, that was out of the question. She would shoot him down once more no doubt and besides, he was there with Mikala. What would he do, walk up to her with Mikala grinning on his arm and say, "Who cares about a damn psycho, stay with me anyway?" Oh yeah, that would definitely get her running back to him.  
  


That stupid song was helping either. He was ready to throw himself at her to get her to listen to him...to get her to realize what a mistake this is, what a mistake he had made, but pride is a strong emotion...too strong.  
  


Kristi hadn't seen him, so there was no point in letting her know he was here. "Um, Mikala, let's sit over here," he said while pointing to a booth that was on the other side of the room away from Kristi's.   
  


Mikala looked at him funnily. "Why? There's no window over there. All the windows are over there." She tugged at his sleeve as she balanced holding her iced mocha in her right hand. "C'mon Parker."  
  


Once the power is for real

And I gonna say it again

And again  
  


Kristi got up with her reciept. There was nothing more she wanted with the shop. She had spent most of her time in there, but wasn't as though she had somewhere to go. She just needed to be within the walls of her own home. It was that simple.  
  


Picking up her book bag, she proceeded to head toward the register. Just as luck would have it, Mikala took a swift turn to the left as she began to lead Peter to another booth. Mikala bumped straight into Kristi and her iced mocha spewed everywhere, straight onto Kristi. Kristi just stared at her newly tanned gray shirt.   
  


Mikala scoffed at her irately. "Why don't you watch where you're going!"  
  


Kristi was about to shoot a comment toward her when he heard a voice behind the angry woman. "C'mon Mikala, forget it."  
  


Kristi jumped in. "Oh no...let me buy you another one."   
  


Peter's tugging stopped instantly. Of all people...of all FREAKING PEOPLE! The fates really did have a sense of humor. Well...maybe he could put this to his advantage. "That's not necessary," he said while stepping between the two. His eyes stared her's down for some sort of reassurance, for some sort of hope.  
  


I Love you  
  


"Um yeah... I think it is necessary. It's not like there's a shortage or anything. The people here practically GIVE AWAY these things," Kristi said with sarcasm. Peter visibly shrunk away when he heard the bite of the words to his ears.   
  


I Love you  
  


Never once did she take her eyes off of Peter's. What she saw surprised her. He looked miserable. His facial lines were distressed and his eyes lingered on her as if trying to send her a message. Kristi didn't want to start anything so numbly she pulled out two bucks. "Here. Would you please move?"  
  


I Love you  
  


Mikala rolled her eyes at Kristi in disgust. Kristi stepped between Mikala and Peter in order to get to the register. Peter just watched her numbly, not saying a word. He was too taken back by everything. He saw her regret in the words she said.  
  


Mikala, oblivious to the relationship, watched Kristi walk off to the register. "God, I cannot stand little ingrates like that!"  
  


I Love you  
  


Kristi's ears perked up when she heard this. She didn't care about the insults...all she wondered about was what was going to be said in response of them. She heard nothing. Paying for her coffee, she walked out of the store and her jaw clenched.  
  


I Love you  
  


Peter watched her form as it slumped out of the café. He wanted to smack Mikala and run to Kristi. Yeah...He shook his head quickly. He never had thoughts of hitting women before, but Mikala was a two faced bitch...   
  


I Love you  
  


But who was he to call anyone two-faced. He just watched and listened to someone call the person he loved an ingrate. He did nothing...   
  


Now you know how I feel 

Tell me what are you gonna do

Now that I've said the words

Tell me what do you have to lose

I know that you feel it too 

I can see it when I look into your eyes

You're scared, but you don't have to be

It's alright cause it's  
  


Peter grabbed his head quickly as if he was in pain. "Mikala..."  
  


She was on her way to the register to order another iced mocha. Turning her head to him, she said lazily, "What?" She looked at his pained expression. "What's wrong with you Parker?"  
  


He gritted his teeth and said in a venomous whisper, "Don't you have any respect for anyone? At all!"  
  


She was taken back by his words. "What are you talking about?"  
  


"Do you really treat people like that normally...seriously, do you?"  
  


She rolled her green eyes at him. "Parker please, she was just a little-"  
  


His blue eyes narrowed in to slits. "Don't you dare call her a nobody." 

Simple (What more can I say)

So Simple

I Love you (What more can I say)

Simple (What more can I say)

So Simple

I Love you (What more can I say)  
  


Mikala looked at Peter's flaming blue eyes. My God...he was serious. "Look...I just got really pissed okay? I need caffeine or else I snap." She rolled her eyes at this. "C'mon, this arguing is pointless. Why don't we go back to my place? I've got better stuff there than coffee. C'mon..." she said with a small smirk. Well...maybe it was about time to shell out that extra artillery...  
  


Mikala escorted Peter to her Celica and started up the car. Oh yes...this night would certainly prove to be interesting...  
  


It started out just like any normal thing:a friend inviting another friend inside and offering them a drink. Peter didn't know it, but he had a little something extra added to his coke...  
  


Mikala mixed in some sort of alcohol into Peter's drink. He was acting really anal since that thing in the cafe. She didn't know why...she didn't want to know why. All she knew was that she had to make amends with him quickly.   
  


After a few minutes of silence, Mikala finally spoke up. "You know Parker, you really are quite the guy."  
  


Peter's mind was on Kristi. Dumbly he said, "Huh?"  
  


Mikala smiled. "You are. You are very handsome and intelligent. Why anyone would let you go is far beyond me."  
  


It wasn't too far beyond him.... He gave a shaky smile her way. He didn't like where this was heading. Innocent compliments are great, but just about nothing was innocent when it comes to Mikala. Nodding his head slowly, he said with an unsure voice, "Um...thanks?"  
  


"You know Parker...I would be happy to fill that void for you." She scooted closer to him.   
  


He in turn, scooted away. "That's okay. I think I'll manage."  
  


She turned her head to the side as she ran a finger across his cheek. "Oh but a guy like you should never be alone...Don't you ever get lonely?"  
  


Turning his head from her, he answered truthfully. "Sometimes."  
  


She scooted closer to him. "Well then....let me help you get past that."  
  


Peter's blinking cause him to miss Mikala's reflexes in action. In .6 seconds, she was already on him attemtpting to assault his lips with her own. Peter pushed Mikala as gently and roughly as he could off of him."Mikala slow it down."  
  


She fell back onto the sofa with a grunt. "But w-why? I know you want me."  
  


He shook his head as he pushed himself up. He had to get out of there. He didn't know what exactly was her problem or why his head felt light, but he knew he shouldn't be there. Mikala on the other hand, did not give up so easily. She reached her hands out and pulled at him. Shrugging her hands off he said sternly. "Mikala stop it."  
  


She hopped off of the sofa quickly and whirled him around so he would look at her. "Look at my eyes. You want me."  
  


Peter narrowed his eyes at her. What was she doing? "No I don't."  
  


Mikala concentrated harder. Hopefully the alcohol would loosen him up some. "Who do you want Peter....you want me like I want you. Say it back to me," she said with a growl.  
  


Peter turned his head to the side with confused features all over his face. "But I don't."  
  


She pursed her lips together and stood with her hands on her hips. "Who do you want Peter?"  
  


He snatched his arm from her grip, receiving a scratch from her. "Mikala, would you quit this? You're freaking me out."  
  


"Peter...just give in already..."  
  


What was wrong with her! He gripped her roaming hands and pushed her down onto the sofa. "Mikala stop it!" he said in a rough tone.  
  


She dropped her jaw as soon as the realization hit that he pushed her away from him. With wide eyes, she looked like she was about to cry. "God Parker when did you become so violent?"  
  


Peter realized what he had just done. He couldn't help it though...she's acting like a dog in heat! Still...that was no excuse. He ran his hand through his hair. Okay...he'd apologize and hightail it out of there. Extending a hand, he said softly, "I'm sorry, but I…." She pulled him down onto the sofa and straddled his hips. He pushed at her once more. "Stop it!" And people say that raping a guy wasn't possible!  
  


She pinned his arms down and stared at him deeply. "You will listen to me…."  
  


He felt a small tickle in the back of his mind...he felt that sometime before. But where from? "Wait a second."  
  


She widened her eyes once more, going at full force now. "Stop fighting it!"  
  


He felt a strong sensation tugging at his mind. Then suddenly it hit him. "Klefton."  
  


Klefton? Boss man used that turn before...Shaking her head quickly, she said, "No."  
  


Peter pushed her off of him finally and pinned her down on the sofa. "Your eyes. You have Klefton's eyes You work for him!" Jesus...these people are everywhere! Gripping her wrists tightly, he demanded, "Who is it?"  
  


Mikala was starting to get nervous. This guy would get really pissed if he found out the entire story..."You will stop asking questions."  
  


Yep...it was Kelfton's eyes alright. Smirking at her, he said confidently, "No...you will answer my questions." Mikala closed her eyes for a moment. There wasn't a way to get out of this one. Peter looked at her shut eyes and saw defeat wash over her face. He lowered his tone to something above a whisper. "Why are you doing this?" She remained silent. "You better tell me."  
  


"Or else what?" Peter's eyebrow rose. Behind those blue eyes was a fire unlike anything she had ever seen before. The boy scout was long gone now..."Okay, I don't know his name, but this is all I know….."  
  


Peter spent thirty minutes listening to her explanation. It sounded plausible considering what these people had done before but now...it just sounded crazy. She was sent to stir up doubt between he and his girlfriend from reasons unknown to her. All she knew was that she was getting paid for it. She had to keep them apart and so far, she had done a good job. Though, she was warned that she would push him away...so that made it easier. From what he could gather, Mikala knew nothing about their identities, but the "boss man" as she called him obviously had to have known. It was too far fetched to think that this guy goes around breaking up couples just for fun...  
  


Could he go back to Kristi? He treated her horribly when she was trying to protect him. Little did she know, it was all the plot. They played her like a pawn. Her and him both.. It was storming when he got to his apartment. He went to his room and sat down on his bed. He looked at his pictures that were on his dresser. His eyes fell to the one picture that face down. Slowly, he set it back up It was the one from spring break. Kristina made a copy and gave him one. He loved that picture….her eyes. He loved her eyes.   
  


There's something about the look in your eyes

Something I noticed when the light was just right

It reminded me twice that I was alive

And it reminded me that you're so worth the fight  
  


Then he thought about the hurt he saw in her eyes when he saw her at the coffee shop. For a moment he thought she would throw her coffee on him. But of course she didn't and wouldn't, after all, why should she waste her coffee on someone like him.  
  


She pushed him away, like he had done to M.J. for her own good.  
  


My biggest fear will be the rescue of me

Strange how it turns out that way, 

yeah

Could you show me dear?

Something I'm not seeing

Something infinitely interesting…  
  


She had shown him so many things it seemed.  
  


He thought back to spring break, how they slow danced together. He thought about the many times they slow danced together, barefoot in her apartment, in his apartment, in the park…they were probably the happiest when they were in each other's arms.  
  


There's something about

The way you move

I see your mouth in slow motion

When you sing

More subtle than something

Someone contrives

Your movements echo that

I have seen the real thing  
  


She was so scared of him being hurt, she didn't stop to realize how everything fit together too perfectly….  
  


Your biggest fear will be

The rescue of you  
  


Would she believe him if he talked to her, if he told her what he had found out? He had to show her every thing….  
  


Strange how it turns out

That way, yeah

Could you show me dear?

Something I'm not seeing

Something infinitely interesting…  
  


He had to show her….his love.  
  


...................................................

Back to you  
  


Kristi walked out of her bathroom with a blue towel around her head and a blue robe around her frame. She stepped to her dresser to grab her black comb.   
  


It always comes around 

Back to you  
  


Tonight…she hadn't realized how much she had missed Peter. It was amazing what a little jealousy could do. He moved onto Mikala. She had never wanted them to be truly separated, but only until this whole mess could be cleared. Unfortunately, he couldn't understand and she didn't blame him. She tossed the towel to the side and passed her comb through her dark hair….  
  


I tried to forget you

I tried to stay away  
  


Her French doors were opened and she felt the cool pre-fall breeze pass through the room. It was raining outside, but she often left her doors cracked.. Dampness outside only brought down her spirits just like the water droplets that were falling so carelessly outside. There was nothing more for her to do now. Fixing her hair into a wet ponytail, she discarded her robe, her body being covered in only a sports bra and boxers, and climbed into her bed.  
  


But it's too late   
  


Besides the sound the rain on the pavement of her balcony. Was she wrong to push him away? The way things looked, they knew each other from glances, nothing more. Lord knew she wanted it to be more.   
  


Her mind was becoming selfish again…her practical side reasoned that if she really cared about him, she wouldn't even consider thoughts of him coming for her, but her much more emotional side was breaking the surface. Her body began to drift off into sleep. If only she could keep everything submersed…  
  


Over you

I'm never over

Over you  
  


Peter sat on a roof top across from Kristi's apartment building. The rain, saturating his jeans and blue Nautica shirt. The rain was blurring his vision as he sat there attempting to get his thoughts together. He knew what needed to be said, but he wasn't too sure on how to say it. Hopefully, he would just open his mouth and everything would come out.   
  


He crept into her room through her open double doors. His wet Nike sandals padded across the wooden floor. Peter's eyes shifted across the dim room looking for movement. His eyes fell on her bed. Between the curtains, he could make out the form of a body. He walked over slowly...  
  


Something about you

It's just the way you move  
  


Peter pulled the sheer curtain back to reveal Kristi hugging a pillow, her knees tucked in and her body turned toward the side. His entire body nearly fell at the sight. He kneeled to one knee and placed his head near her's. Reaching a hand up, he slowly began to stroke her cheek. He wasn't sure that he wanted to wake her, but he wasn't sure if this was really something that should wait.  
  


He placed his lips on her forehead before pulling back to watch her face. Her mouth twitched slightly, forming a small smile. He touched her cheek once more, this time, her eyes fluttered open slowly. Peeking through her eyelids, she stared at him for a moment. "Kris..."  
  


His picture didn't register until she heard his voice. Still sluggish from sleep, she shut her eyes and shook her head to the side. "What are you doing?"  
  


There was almost a harsh tone in her voice. Quietly, he said, "I needed to see you."  
  


The way you move me  
  


Why...he's got a new girl on his arm, so what was the big deal? They'd been through something like this before. He didn't need to explain his actions to her...she didn't care. Not caring made everything not as hard to swallow. Didn't mean it didn't make her sick to her stomach though...  
  


Swallowing, she asked softly, "How did you get in here?"  
  


He nodded his wet head toward the door. "The balcony."  
  


She sat up slowly in her bed, her sheets falling from her chest. Squinting her eyes to see him, she saw him drop his head quickly when the sheet fell. She almost smiled at his subtle action. Softly, she said, "Someone could have seen you." She turned her head sluggishly to the balcony doors and with the whisk of her hand, she shut them slowly. She scooted her knees up and held them with her arms. "Why didn't you come as Spider-Man?" 

"Because I'm speaking to you as me, not Spider-Man, not in a mask," he said with a slightly irate voice. His breath was coming in hard as he tried to speak. "I need to talk to you."  
  


I'm so good at forgetting

And I quit every game I play  
  


Her head was down as she looked at her silk threads. "What did you want to talk about?"  
  


But forgive me, love

I can't turn and walk away   
  


His tone was calm. "Us undoubtedly."  
  


Back to you

It always comes around

Back to you  
  


She couldn't stop herself from scoffing. "What exactly is there for us to talk about Pete?"  
  


I walk with your shadow  
  


"Please Kris..." She was mad at him. He did somewhat flaunt Mikala at her, but it was so important that just this one time, she listened to him. He placed his hand on her face, shifting her head so she would look down at him.  
  


I'm sleeping in my bed

With your silhouette…  
  


He stared at her brown eyes that seemed interested, but saddened. Those brown eyes...those same eyes that he had grown to love, the same ones that made him smile during Spring Break. They were so happy at one point in time...now they had nothing.  
  


Yeah...Should have smiled in that picture

If it's the last that I'll see of you  
  


Her brown eyes stared at his blue ones. They were filled with so much remorse and hope. She couldn't bear to send him away again. She had always hoped for this, but wasn't sure if she was ready to accept it. She shook her head at him slowly. "Peter, I don't think-"  
  


It's the least that you

Could not do  
  


He held a hand to her mouth. "Listen to me." He swallowed hard trying to surface the feelings he had kept hidden for those weeks. "I think about you. I think about you all the time. The first time I had actually looked at your face was tonight at the coffee shop." He turned his body from her and leaned his back against her bed. His arms on his knees he continued. "I got the notion in my head that you didn't want me at all. I played the conversation over in my head...about how you kept mentioning Spider-Man. I felt as though you forgot that was who I am, that we are one in the same. Whenever I would see you in class it seemed as though this whole thing was because what you feel is not for me, but….my alter ego."  
  


"Never Peter."  
  


"I know. I didn't understand everything you said to me, I didn't want to understand. I needed a new way of thinking things." He chuckled to himself. "It's a lot easier if you don't accept things the way they are given to you, but make them be seen in a different way." He went silent for a moment in an attempt to collect all of his thoughts.  
  


He turned around once more on his knees to face Kristi. With a stern voice, he said, "Mikala means nothing to me. She never has and never will." He grabbed her hands before starting again. "I never touched her. I probably indulged more than I should have just by going on what I don't even think can be called dates. She would kiss me, but I would push her away."  
  


"What you do is none of my business Peter."  
  


"I'm making it your business." His head fell to concentrate on her sheet. "That whole time and as of right now, I feel empty, and...." he looked up place emphasis on his eyes, "I'm willing to fight, head on, but I can't do it alone."

Leave the light on 

I'll never give up on you

Leave the light on  
  


She turned her head from him faintly. "I told you Peter..."  
  


For me too…  
  


He still held her hands as he placed his face as close to her's as he could. His eyes began to plead with her. "Tell me you've missed me, please? Just tell me Kris…please."  
  


For me too…  
  


She turned her eyes to his. All defenses crumpled. "All the time."  
  


For me too...  
  


He placed a hand on her cheek and began to caress it slowly. "Why can't you see this? You're fighting so hard not to be controlled, its already being done."  
  


Kristi snapped from her reverie of his eyes quickly. Jerking her head away from his touch, she said quickly, "No Peter."  
  


"Whoever this is wanted and wants us separated. He put fear into us…he had to. What better way is there to controlling something than by breaking down the internal structure. Us, being together, is that structure. " It did make sense, but that couldn't be done if they didn't know who both of them were.  
  


"How do you know this? They don't know who-"  
  


"They've been knowing."  
  


Her head perked up. "What?"  
  


"They've known. This was a set up. That doctor was sent to you, Mikala was sent to me. It was all a plot don't you get it? They succeeded." His head came up slowly to take a quick glimpse of her's. It was hanging down once more, away from him. His eyes fell on her full length mirror. Grabbing her hand, he began to drag her out of bed.  
  


Showing some resistance, Kristi attempted to pull her hand away from his grip. "What are you doing?"  
  


He placed her body in front of the mirror while he stood behind her with his hands on her nearly bare shoulders, his head bobbing a few inches above her own. "Take a look at us. Take a good look at us. We're living in fear." He looked down at her form. "We…are…drowning in fear."   
  


Her eyes roamed over both of their figures. They were worn and devastatingly distraught. She couldn't bear to look at herself, to look at what she became. She became a person hiding behind a cloak of fear implanted into her head by a phantom. She didn't know what to do, what to think, she was lost. She turned her head away from their shimmering image and walked back to her bed.  
  


Peter watched her carefully, not sure of what to make of everything. This was becoming trying. He couldn't read her eyes and that's what frightened him. He walked toward her form and knelt down in front of her. Grasping her hands, he made her look at him. "Kris…I love you. I could never say that to anyone else because of problems like this. I'm tired of the drowning. I'm not afraid to say it either. I love you so much, my chest hurts, like it's going to explode. I haven't gotten any sleep and everything is messed up." He felt like he was about to cry. Everything was caving in now. "I hurt so much…the thought of never talking to you, touching you, kissing you…never seeing you again. I can't hold this in anymore."   
  


Her mother loved her…Mr. Morris loved her like a daughter of his own. She pulled her hands from him and squinted her eyes shut. He held onto her hands tightly, forcing her to be near him. He wasn't going to let her hide from this. "Kris, I know the risks. I've been down this path before, but I want to be able to love you. Not from a memory or a picture, but," his hand crept up to her cheek. In a whisper, he said quietly, "But up close and near you…with you. I want to love you."   
  


It looked as though she didn't want to look at him. He couldn't understand why. It felt like hope was being taken from him with quickness that scared him. "Kristina…why won't you let me love you? I refuse to live in fear over something that could happen when I know that I could handle it….we could handle it." His last words echoed in her head. "They've played us like fools and I refuse to be someone's marionette. I don't want Spider Man, a phantom who knows no love, to love you, to be the only who can love you. Me, Peter, I want that. I deserve the chance to be able to." What could she do?  
  


Back to me  
  


She stopped looking at him. Her face expressed no emotions in that dimly lit room, her body made no effort to move toward him. She didn't fall into his arms; she said nothing to him. When he saw no reaction from her, he felt numb. He had nothing else to say. He couldn't read her for once; maybe he didn't want to. Her mental pulling away from him was the final blow. If she couldn't take him now, after all that he had said, after he shared his feelings with her, then what more could he do?   
  


I know that it comes  
  


He stood up quietly and whispered, "I'm sorry I came here and bothered you. I'm s-sorry." His chest began to tighten up as he found it more difficult to talk. Breathing became harder as grabbed for the bedpost to lean against trying to fully comprehend the loss he just experienced.  
  


Back to me…  
  


Kristi sat on her bed too stunned to move, too moved by his words to react. This is what they wanted…this is what those people wanted. She had vowed to never let these people strip her of her happiness or of what things that made her world go around. They didn't need to strip it from her; she had given it to them in a pretty box and bow.  
  


Doesn't it scare you  
  


Peter didn't look back at her as he proceeded toward the door that led outside. He murmured a quick good bye before reaching for the doorknob.  
  


Your will is not as strong  
  


Kristi's eyes jumped up quickly from the bed sheets that were being wrung in pain. "Peter wait."  
  


As it used to be...  
  


"What for?" he said with harshness. "Your feelings are clear on this. There's nothing more to discuss. It would be foolish for me to stay here-"  
  


By now, she had crawled across the bed and was now walking toward Peter. "Peter…stay."  
  


His eyes blinked for a moment as his hand paused on the partially opened door. Had he heard her correctly? He turned to her confused. "Stay?"  
  


She reached her other hand around him and pushed the door close slowly, her eyes never leaving his. "Stay... please."  
  


His eyes stayed on her's carefully. What he saw in his eyes made his heart jump. She asked him to stay…  
  


Kristi's eyes fell over his somewhat shocked and relieved face. They could face this. She had been too ignorant to realize that she couldn't do this alone…it was foolish of her to think she could go on without him like this. Things couldn't end…not now. Gripping his arm, she pulled him toward her bed.  
  


When she sat down, she tugged for him to sit next to her. "My clothes-"  
  


She gave him a small smile. "That's okay..." He sat down next to her. Peter's breathing was deep now. His eyes fell over her face slowly. He freed of one his hands from her grasp and touched her face tenderly. He had forgotten how she felt…  
  


Pulling her into an embrace, his nostrils burned with the scent of her. His cheek rubbed against her slightly damper head, which gave off an array of strawberry scented strands. He stood there…holding her against his much damper form, relishing in the fact that he was in fact holding her, a task he thought at one time, to be a long lost memory.   
  


Kristi melted into his arms. It was as though a blanket of comfort had been wrapped around her form. Her head melted into his chest as she heard his heart beating softly behind his cotton shirt. Her head was soon lifted from its sanctuary and up toward his.  
  


Peter's lips captured hers in a slow embrace, leaving both of their minds reeling. Peter hands claimed a mind of their own, as did Kristi's. His muscular hands held her tightly as Kristi's hands did the same.  
  


Peter tried to keep some sort of self-reserve, but control was dwindling quickly. He pulled his head away slowly and peered at her closed eyelids. "What now?" he whispered softly.  
  


Kristi's eyes fluttered open slowly. "Just lay here with me...just hold me." Nodding his head slowly, he sheepishly took his Nautica shirt off, placing it on the floor. He slipped his sandals off and then his jeans, leaving him in a pair of boxers. He slid under the covers with her and wrapped his arms around her. She was laying down on her side, facing him. She shut her eyes...  
  


Peter just watched her shut eyes. So here they were...everything okay, she accepted him, they were together. Was it really real? For the longest time, he thought he lost her because of his pride and then the Mikala thing...He shuddered at the thought. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, then her eyes left then right, then her lips, just like he had always done. Sleep wasn't going to come to him, she was just too close to him and his body was too aware of her.  
  


His kept kissing her face until he worked his way to her neck and then went back to her neck. Kristi's eyes fluttered open from the feather touches. "Peter..." she murmured.  
  


He stopped immediately. What was his problem! He was and is incredibly and blamelessly male... He whispered softly, "I'm sorry...I just...I..." He sighed to himself. "I don't know."  
  


What she saw was a deep passion hidden within his star like eyes. She gave him a small smile of understanding. This was it…she felt it; he felt it. She leaned in and kissed him back with frankness that took him off guard.  
  


She ran a finger down his jaw and stared at him with openness that scared him at first, but made him feel better all the same.  
  


He extended her arm toward him and kissed her hand. His kisses worked their way to her shoulder slowly.   
  


Once there, his hand rubbed her back slightly as his kisses traveled from her shoulder to her neck. She turned her body slightly to give him better access. He kissed her neck and worked his way to the other side of her neck to her other shoulder. From her shoulder, he traveled to her other hand. Placing her hand on his cheek, he reached over her and held her other hand. His body was slightly over her's as his face leaned in closer to hers. He kissed her forehead before he opened his mouth. "Are you sure?"  
  


She nodded her head. "Yes…"  
  


Breathing in deeply he said in a shy voice, "You know, I've never.."  
  


She smiled at his attempt of explanation. "I've never either." His body was more over her's now as he stared into her eyes. His face fell to her's and kissed her once more. It was at that moment that they, for the first time, lost themselves in each other.

……………………………….

Peter woke up first. He looked down to see Kristi sleeping against him on her stomach with one arm over his chest and her other on the other side of her head. It was holding the hand of Peter's outstretched arm that cradled between her neck and the bed.  
  


He stifled a small yawn before looking back to her ceiling. His lips curled into a small smile. He hadn't anticipated this happening. His mind reasoned that there is no better way to express your love for someone than physically. Sometimes words weren't enough… Yawning again, he freed one of his hands and snaked it around sheer curtain to glimpse at the clock. The blue digital numbers read: 6:45. His eyes fell on the French doors. The sun was beginning to peak through the curtains.  
  


He looked down at Kristi again before shifting to get up. Moving stealthily, he maneuvered himself off of the bed without disturbing her slumber. Finding his boxers, he slipped them on to cover himself. He headed to the bathroom…  
  


A sea of dark blue met Kristi's eyes as she opened them slowly. Letting out a small yawn, her eyes moved to the other side of her queen size bed. Peter wasn't there…Her eyes were wide open now. Her first thought was that it was a dream. If it was…she was certainly an imaginative girl  
  


The silky sheets felt smoother than usual. Peaking under the sheet, she realized, it wasn't a dream…she realized she was naked. Nope…wasn't a dream. She sat up slowly as she peered through the room. She stretched her arms up and slumped into her bed some more. It wasn't until she heard her bathroom door open that reflexes left her scrambling for her sheets.   
  


Peter pulled the curtain back and saw Kristi up. Her hands loosened their grip around the sheet as she made a small smile. He returned it, and crawled back into the bed. His eyes fell from her face to around her face. They landed on her unruly almost ebony hair. Passing a hand through it, he kissed her forehead gently and put his arm around her almost in reassurance.  
  


Kristi's body relaxed into his arm as she leaned back into the embrace. They slid down to the pillows and just laid there under silk sheets in each other's presence. There was nothing but the silence that surrounded them. There was nothing to be said. Everything of importance had been spoken through small gestures and glances. That's all that counted…   
  
  
  
  
  
Echo- Incubus

Back to you- John Mayer  
  


Note: Okay...there ya go! The story is coming to close soon...maybe in the next two or three chapters. Please don't forget to review. Later Folks!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

Inconnu paced around his office, his long legs striding across the thick carpet. From what he could tell, things were going downhill. When he called Mikala to see what was up...well, that wasn't the most pleasant phone call he had ever made. What was he paying her for!   
  


He sighed loudly while running his deformed hand through his short night black hair. Things were becoming complicated. He knew somewhere in his gut that this would happen...he just knew it. He scoffed loudly. "Anything that damn doctor touches backfires..." He shook his head at the thought. Everything was just...a bundle of mess. He normally had the ability to foresee possible routes, but he never thought to add in the DeMarquise as a questionable factor that would louse everything up for him.  
  


This wasn't good...  
  


This doctor was becoming more and more of a pest. Sure, Inconnu would have his revenge with him, but he was messing up all that he had worked for before he could accomplish it! Inconnu stopped pacing long enough to scratch his chin. His calculating mind began to ponder every angle that could could come up... DeMarquise would have to go. That was a given. He might end up six feet under, but-  
  


He used but. There was doubt again....Kenneth's side was coming in again. Kenneth wanted DeMarquise to suffer more than anything...murder on the one hand did not seem right. Yet that man ruined his life...  
  


He ruined his life....that was the defense Inconnu would present to Kenneth every single day. DeMarquise and that little helper of his would get theirs also, but DeMarquise is someone with a much bigger score to settle. He'd get his soon enough...  
  


Inconnu stroked his chin carefully. The inevitable came....  
  


Inconnu had lost patience.  
  


Yes...he'd settle this all right now...no more waiting. No more games. The sooner he got Kristina and Spider-Man, the sooner all of this will be over with. DeMarquise will meet his death, his nice backstabbing counterpart will meet his, and he'll have his Kristina. All the games end now...

..................................................  
  


Peter was the first to get up that morning. He glimpsed at Kristi's shut eyes. Feeling eyes on her, one eye popped open. Peter gave her a small smile. "Well good morning."  
  


Kristi extended her legs out in an attempt to stretch. "Good morning."   
  


The crease in Peter's forehead furrowed inward. Quietly, he said with soft tones, "Kris...you know I didn't come here last night for...this to happen. You know that right?" A lot of things happened that night. He was ready for them, she was ready for them, but he didn't want it to seem as though he came to her for that.  
  


Kristi turned her head completely toward Peter's. "I know."  
  


His blue eyes stayed on the sheet. Unsure, he said slowly, "So...no regrets?"  
  


Kristi turned her head so it would be directly under his. Looking up at him, she said with a small smile, "Not one." Peter gave a small smile back in return. Peter turned his head to the side with a look of amusement on his face. She was just so interesting to look at. Kristi eyed him funnily. "What?"  
  


Peter shrugged his bare shoulders. "Nothing. Nothing at all." He yawned once before glimpsing at her clock. "Can I take a shower here?"  
  


Kristi nodded her head slowly. "Sure, but what would you wear?"  
  


"My clothes from last night."  
  


"They're probably still wet though."  
  


Peter shrugged his shoulders once more. "It doesn't matter."  
  


Kristi bit her lip for a moment before turning to get out of her bed. "I might have something you can wear."  
  


Peter narrowed his eyebrows at her. "Um...no. I don't think so."  
  


Kristi stopped in mid roll and turned her head toward Peter. "Why?"  
  


"Because... you're a girl."  
  


Kristi smirked at him. "How nice of you to notice."  
  


His eyes shifted over her covered form. Very matter-of-factly, he said , "I've always noticed."  
  


A smile crept on her lips, but she kept it down to a swift twitch of the lips. "Hmm...." Blushing slightly, she grabbed for her robe that had been discarded earlier on her midnight blue lounge chair that was in front of the double doors. "Well, I have some scrubs and a Saints shirt you could probably fit," she said as she tied her robe around her waist tightly.  
  


"Let me guess....you keep spare pairs of those kind of clothes whenever you have male counterparts come over...am I right?"  
  


She made a loud exaggerated sigh and gasp of shock. "You figured me out Parker." She pushed herself off of the bed and began to walk toward her closet. "I need bed warmers of course." When she was walking, she felt soreness like never before. She stopped for a moment before beginning to walk again attempting to analyze the sudden soreness.  
  


Peter sat back on the bed and watched her attempt to walk. He turned his head to the side as he watched her. He made a small "hmm".  
  


Kristi heard his "hmm" and turned around. His face seemed almost...amused. Placing a hand on her hip, she said quickly, "What are you smirking at?"  
  


He widened his eyes in innocence. "Nothing." Turning his head to the side again, he asked seriously, "Are you hurt?"  
  


"No, why?"  
  


"You're walking funny." A thought flew into his head as to why that was so, but he quickly pushed it aside for some reason.  
  


Kristi knew what it was from...and even though she attempted to keep herself from blushing, it happened anyway. Trying to play it off, she said nonchalantly, "You're the first bed warmer I've had that actually did their job right."  
  


Peter's jaw dropped, literally. She said...about him...those words? "Um....I..." He scratched his head, almost embarrassed, until his pride puffed up. Playing with her, he said, with a grin, "Wow...I'm that good." As soon as the words left his mouth, he could feel the blush creeping up his cheeks. He never had the opportunity before to think of himself as "good". Now that he did, he felt funny. He felt happy, nervous, and embarrassed...  
  


It was Kristi's turn to drop her jaw. "Are you bragging about it?"  
  


"Is it really bragging if you are just stating the facts?"  
  


Kristi twisted her mouth at him and marched toward his side of the bed, grabbed a pillow and smacked him with it. Peter held up his hands in defense. "What are you doing! You are abusing the bed warmer!" he said with a loud chuckle.  
  


She smacked him once more in the face with a laugh. "You are my bed warmer, I can do whatever I want to you."  
  


"You're one of those really controlling type of women, huh?"  
  


"You know it."  
  


Peter reached up and grabbed the flying pillow with one hand and Kristi's waist with the other, pulling both of them down on top of him. With a raised eyebrow, he said quickly, "My how the tables have turned."  
  


Kristi rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Are you going to let me get you the clothes?"  
  


"You're asking your bed warmer for permission?"  
  


"It's not permission, it's a simple question."  
  


Peter took a deep breath before shrugging his shoulders lazily. "What do you think?"  
  


"Yes."  
  


"On one condition."  
  


"What?" Peter puckered his lips up. Kristi laughed at his facial expression. His face was scrunched up and his pouty lips were poking out. "Okay..." She placed her lips over his and blew hard, making a loud squeaking sound against them.   
  


Peter pulled his head back quickly in laughter. "Don't you dare EVER call me a goober again!"  
  


Kristi smiled sweetly before leaning down to give him a kiss. Pulling away, she pushed herself off of him and proceeded toward her closet. She was half way there when she felt Peter's hand at her hip. He grabbed her arm and put it around his neck and he walked side by side with her. "What are you doing?"  
  


Peter sighed. "What kind of man would I be if I didn't help his girl walk?"   
  


Peter took a shower in Kristi's bathroom. She did find the New Orleans Saints shirt and scrubs. They were both entirely too big for her, but they fit Peter. Once Peter had taken his shower, Kristi took hers. Peter went downstairs to fix something to eat.  
  


Peter padded downstairs with a content smile on his face. Everything was great between the two of them. It amazed him constantly how every thing turned out for him. Just when he thought he hit the bottom, he had a break. Fate had a funny way of playing things out. He felt a small tugging in the back of his head, but pushed it aside. He was too busy concentrating on the good....  
  


He went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Taking out the EGGO waffles' box. Placing the yellow box on the counter, he reached for the dark-blue toaster that was already sitting on the counter top. He placed four waffles in the four slot toaster and set it for medium. He placed the rest of the waffles back into the freezer section of the refrigerator. He still felt that nagging in his head, but who was he to bring himself from Cloud Nine?  
  


He took out the orange juice and butter and placed them on the counter. He looked up to cabinets. He could never remember which one was the glass cabinet. With a small laugh, he said out loud to him self, "Where are the glasses?"  
  


"Last cabinet," a male voice said. Peter's hand froze. His spider sense was going off like crazy now...  
  


He whirled around quickly and nearly stepped back in shock. "Nice to see you too Parker," Klefton said as he plopped down on the sofa. He extended his massive arms across the back of the sofa and crossed his legs. "Good morning."  
  


Peter flexed his fist in and out quickly. How the hell did he get in? "WHAt are you doing here?"  
  


Klefton glimpsed at his watch. "It's time."  
  


"Time for what?"  
  


"Time for you and Ms. Devun to be leaving now."  
  


Peter's breathing was beginning to increase. No...Klefton wasn't the direct threat. So where was it coming from? His eyes darted around quickly until he saw men dressed in black come from Kristi's laboratory. There must have been at least 10 of them. There were more coming from the vents over the entertainment system. Peter stepped from behind the kitchen island and took a fighting stance. None of the men charged however...  
  


About eight of those men began their way upstairs. "No!" Peter shouted. He outstretched his arms and shot webbing at the top two men. Yanking hard, he pulled them down the steps. The remaining men began to attack him. Instead, he jumped upward and stuck to the ceiling, climbing his way to the steps. The men had already been on their way back up the steps.   
  


Hopping off of the steps, Peter landed in front of them and did a swift kick, knocking most of the men backwards. The remaining men grabbed a hold of him, causing them to lose balance and tumble down the steps.  
  


Klefton sat downstairs bored by it all. Shrugging his shoulders he made his way to the kitchen and waited for the eggos to pop up. He had skipped breakfast that day....  
  


Peter tumbled to the ground with four men. They all were on top of his form. Standing up quickly, he knocked all of them off of him. He was about to run upstairs, when one man grabbed him by the leg, bringing him back to the ground. All of the man power now was being concentrated on getting Parker.  
  


Kristi stepped out of the steamy bathroom fully clothed in some basketball shorts and a simple black shirt. She heard the clanging downstairs and chuckled to herself. Must Peter make that much noise with the pots and pans?  
  


Then she heard banging and thumping. That's not pots and pans....  
  


She rushed out the room and ran straight into two men dressed all in black. She screamed for a moment. Out of pure reflex, she kicked her legs up and nailed the men in the chests, causing them both to fall backwards. She hopped up quickly and jumped over them in haste for the the stairs.

Peter heard Kristi's yell and struggled even more to get the men off of him. As strong as he was, certainly he couldn't get all some odd 15 men off of him. He struggled more and more until he felt something cover his face. He could no longer breath correctly as he inhaled a thick gas  
  


Kristi saw all of the men on him and thrusted her hands into the air quickly. They all flew off of him as if each one were connected to strings and had been pulled back. It took a lot out of her to move so much...ever since that whole episode with the roses, everything was weakened. Her head began to hurt if she exerted too much concentration on her mental powers. This time was no different.  
  


She ran to Peter's fallen form and held him in her arms. "What did they do to you?"  
  


Peter was already beginning to fade in and out. "Mask...gas."  
  


Kristi squinched her eyes as she looked at him. He was already beginning to pale. "Peter?" she whispered. "Peter answer me please..." No response.  
  


Kristi forgot about the men behind her. Five of them gripped her form and tugged her away from Peter's. They all held her down as they quickly put the mask over her face. She had inhaled two puffs but threw the people off of her with her mind. She had to struggle with that though...her head was starting to hurt.  
  


It didn't take much gas to weaken her. She fell to her knees quickly and watched the room begin to spin. Someone grabbed her and forced the mask onto her face. Her hands swung into the air quickly, attempting to hit anything. She made a connection with someone's face. She was dropped swiftly as she quickly smacked the mask away. Everything was going in and out...  
  


Someone picked her up once more and held the mask firmly over her face until she stopped moving completely. The mask remained there about ten seconds after she had stopped moving. "Hey! That's enough gas! You put in twice as much as you were supposed to," Klefton said with an angry bark. He took a bite out of the waffle. "Pick them up and take them out through the elevator shaft to the back." He sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs once more. "Hurry it up! We don't want to keep the Professor waiting..." Klefton took another bite out of the waffle. As they picked up Peter, he said with a smirk, "Thanks for breakfast." 

.............................................

Peter's cerulean eyes opened slowly. He squinted them tightly shut once again when he saw a bright light being pointed into his face. Turning his head to the side, he peered at his clothes. 

They were the same clothes he had on when he was at Kristi's.  
  


He wasn't there anymore, that much was evident.  
  


He shifted his head once more to look around the room. His eyebrows furrowed inward when he felt patches on his head. He saw his small reflection in the large glass wall. He attempted to raise his arm to sit up, but that was impossible. He grunted once more in an attempt, but proved to be futile. He didn't feel weak...he felt as though he had his strength. These bond had to have been something specially made for him. "Hello Parker. Rise and shine doll face!"  
  


Peter turned his head toward the other direction. His face grimaced as he saw Klefton and the doctor once again."What-"  
  


Klefton held up his hand. "Is going on. I know, I know." Chuckling to himself, he said rather frankly, "We've caught you. That's what's going on." Klefton pushed himself off of the wall that he was leaning against and walked over to Peter. "Maybe if you weren't so busy jackin' off with Devun then maybe you could have been thinking straighter."  
  


Peter's face first turned flush in embarrassment, but the reason for the flush soon turned to anger as his jaw tightened. "Where-"  
  


"Is she? Oh don't worry. She had a little more of the gas than we had wanted her to, but she's mellowing out. We've got some special stuff for her." Peter was about to open his mouth when Klefton interrupted him. "Like what you wonder? Okay first...I'll answer your question. How do I know what you are thinking?" Klefton pulled up a chair and sat next to Peter. "Well...we have nice little devices here that interpret your waves into images and or words. But yeah...now back to Kristi." His eyes glimpsed and the recorder. Peter's protective nature was being traced back to their night together.   
  


An image was being printed out along with Peter's waves. He gave Peter a sinister smile. "Oh you're a vivid one aren't you! Now. All you have to do is submit yourself to us and everything will be easier. I promise."  
  


"What have you done to her?"  
  


Klefton's eyebrow rose in humor. Shrugging his shoulders, he said quickly, "Screwed her seven different ways while she was unconscious."  
  


Peter's face turned a shade redder. Knowing that sick idiot, he probably would do something like that. "Bastard!" He moved his fingers and wrist around and shot some webbing to Klefton's face.   
  


Klefton quickly dodged it and said with a satisfied grin on his face. "Watch the language!" He grabbed the controller and nodded his head to the doctor. "Please, be a dear doc and turn that switch up."  
  


DeMarquise flipped a small black switch. Peter's body automatically stiffened from the quick bout of small pain he received. Klefton leaned in toward Peter with his head cocked to the side. "Now...are you going to be a good boy and listen to me?" Peter spat in his face. Klefton, wiping his face, gritted his teeth toward Peter. Slamming down on a button on the controller he held, he promptly felt relief when he saw the controlled expression of pain on Peter's face.

He released the button and looked at Peter. "Now...shall we try this again?" Klefton reached for a gas mask and attempted to place it over Peter's mouth. Peter twisted his head back and forth so Klefton couldn't get the mask on. Klefton sighed exasperatedly. "You really are a prick you know that?"   
  


DeMarquise stepped around Klefton. "Let me have some fun with the spider." Securing some special gloves on around his arms, he looked up at Peter with a look of content on his face. Peter narrowed his eyes at the shorter man. His spider sense went off , but he could do nothing to move his head. from the blow.   
  


DeMarquise took his small palm and cracked it across Peter's cheek. He did it three more times before he crumpled his small hand into a a fist and slammed it into Peter's jaw.   
  


Peter's head whipped to the right side swiftly. Slowly, he turned his head back into place. The impact of the doctor's hand to his own flesh stung enough to bring some moisture to his eyes against his will. His cheek, sore from the previous hits, swung to the right side once more. The doctor punched him once more in the face. Peter's head turned back slower. He could already began to taste the blood.  
  


DeMarquise's teeth were gritted shut. He loved this...Spider-Man was tied down with something that he couldn't break through AND he got to inflict pain on him....oh he loved this!  
  


He took another swing at Peter, this time in the stomach. Once...twice...three times did his fist make contact with Peter's stomach. He snatched the controller from Klefton, who stood by with his arms crossed. He encircled his fingers around the button and slammed it forcefully.   
  


Peter's jaw tightened as his teeth grinded against each other in order to keep control.  
  


DeMarquise smiled to himself as he heard Peter's suppressed whimpers. He was supressing them...this wouldn't work The doctor's eyebrow rose quickly. Oh...he wanted a nice high pitched yell...  
  


The doctor walked across the room, letting go of the button momentarily. He could hear Peter's body sigh involuntarily. He went to the dial and turn it up two more notches. He pressed the button once more. This time, he got a loud scream from Peter's body.  
  


Peter's body shook as he attempted to break the bonds that held him pinned down. His body was propped up against a wall. The metal linking that held made his wrists red from the impression of his wrist against the metal. He didn't feel the minor pain that was coming from the bands. The pains he was feeling traveled from his head into his chest. He couldn't withhold his screams as hard as he tried while he gritted his teeth as hard as he could. His body shook slowly from the pulsation of pain underneath his skin. He tightened his eyes shut, his stinging jaw tightly shut, trying to silence the sounds of pain coming to his lips. His blue eyes rolled in the back of his head as it flung around in an effort to break the his bonds.  
  


DeMarquise observed Peter's spasmodic movements with a laugh. He loved the sound of Peter's screaming, still, it was not high enough and then the boy had the nerve to try to silence them! He turned it up another notch.  
  


Klefton was leaning against a white wall watching with little interest. The doc was having too much fun with this. He saw Peter's face turning red from the blood rush, his hands were flexing in and out rapidly. "Hey doc...tone it down. He's gotta be conscious for all of this stuff to happen."  
  


"Oh no...I'm having fun!" He turned it up another notch....he still wasn't satisfied.   
  


Peter's muscles contracted and tightened in quick bursts. There was a constant burning on his skin, as if someone was holding a large torch on his skin. Everything burned...it burned so badly. He couldn't concentrate on pulling away now...his entire body ached with the large burning sensation.  
  


Peter's body shook more violently now. Blood was beginning to come from his nose. The red droplets were being strewn across the room from his quick movements. Klefton felt a slight pang in his head as he saw the blood smearing across Peter's sweat drenched, shaking cheeks. He pushed himself off of the wall. He couldn't watch any more. "Doc...you got five minutes. Then we gotta keep going," he said as he began to make his way toward the exit.  
  


DeMarquise never took his menacing gaze off of Peter's beaten form. He removed his thumb from the button on the controller. Peter's body fell limp instantly. "Oh that's more than enough time."  
  


Peter couldn't understand what was being said. His only understanding was that the pain that plagued him had left him...but he knew it would be back. His head had drooped, his mouth slightly lax as he attempted to breath.  
  


Klefton watched his form before he opened the door. Peter's weak head lifted slowly and stared blankly at him. His blue eyes were moist and full of contempt and confusion. Klefton strode out of the room and never looked back.  
  


The doctor turned the machine up two more notches.....  
  


Klefton went toward Inconnu who was watching the doctor through the observation glass. Klefton stood next to him with his back turned to the glass for a few minutes. His mind was flying in different directions. He wasn't sure what it was he was thinking, but he couldn't help but feel a pang a remorse for Peter.   
  


Not taking his dark eyes from the glass, Inconnu said somewhat quietly, "You didn't like the show?"  
  


Klefton shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't quite sure why he hadn't stayed... His green eyes fell onto the glass, watching Peter's shaking body. Looking down once more, he said quietly, "I'm not into the whole torture thing."  
  


Inconnu sneered at that response. "I take it you like the faster approach correct?"  
  


Klefton shrugged his shoulders as he smoothed out his suit. "I take that back...I do like torture...but this..." He looked at Peter. The doctor had stopped for a moment. There was blood coming from his scalp. He wasn't just sweating anymore...he was sweating blood. "This seems like too much."  
  


Inconnu shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just letting the doctor have his fun. All of this could have been avoided if the boy had just been submissive to begin with. He brought this on himself." Klefton opened his mouth, but closed it slowly. Inconnu saw the reflection and said quickly, "You have something to say?"  
  


Klefton squinted his eyes for a moment. "Professor...." he stopped in mid sentence. "I have nothing to say."  
  


Inconnu just nodded his head.... Glimpsing at his watch, he said quickly, "Go tell the doctor to stop. He's had long enough. It's time to let the boy recuperate some..."  
  


Klefton nodded his head slowly as he made his way to the lab once more. Peter's immobile body would not resist the serum now...  
  


...............................................  
  


It had been four hours later before Kristi's eyelids stirred. Her head fell to one side, the brief rubbing of hair on her cheek waking her up. Her eyes opened slowly, very droopy and very tired. Her head hurt as she attempted to lift it. She squinted her eyes for a moment for there was a dark silhouette standing in front of her. From the way the clothes fit and the body shape, she said quietly, "Peter?"  
  


The body stepped out of the shadows and stood in front of her. Indeed it was him. "Yes it is…so to speak." His voice was different. It sounded more sinister…more evil. From what she could see, his blue eyes had become darker...just like everything else about him.  
  


"What's happened to you?"  
  


He turned his head to the side in false confusion. "What do you mean…Kristina?"  
  


"Something's not right."  
  


He turned his head back upright and crossed his arms. "The only thing not right…is you."  
  


"What are you talking about?"   
  


He shrugged his shoulders as he placed his hand in his pocket. "I've finally had my eyes opened by my friends: the good doctor, dear Klefton and our elusive boss." Our boss? This was not good...it could not be good.   
  


Kristi tried to move her arm, but found the task futile. Her arms were pinned at her sides by a lock. Concentrating on turning the lock, all she felt was pain. She heard herself wince as she tried her powers. Her mind was pounding and felt as though it was going explode. Peter clapped his hands together. "Oh I see you've discovered the new trick. There's a nice little serum flowing through your body, primarily your brain cavity. When you try to use your powers, you will feel strong bouts of pain until you stop trying. The pain will increase every time you try to use your power." He chuckled to himself at the thought. "Isn't that great?"  
  


Kristi shook her head in confusion. What was going on? "Peter…w-what's happened to you?"  
  


He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh nothing really…I've just found new friends to play with." /he sighed loudly as he began to pace in front of her. "Ya know, I really am tired of getting dissed and dismissed by the people of the pathetic town you refer to as New York. Hey, if they want to go around killing themselves, who am I to stop them? It'll only free up more room on this planet."  
  


No...this couldn't be happening. Peter's whole purpose was to never let the innocent suffer. She shook her head at him, "Your uncle Ben-"  
  


He stopped pacing to interrupt her. "Was weak enough to be overtaken," he barked loudly. Going to a lower tone, he said, "So will it be with you."  
  


"What have they done to you?"  
  


He shrugged his shoulders as his head began to look up to the ceiling. "I was injected with a serum that has opened my eyes." For the first time, he actually made what looked like a genuine smile. "Not only am I seeing things clearer but I'm also seeing them as they are." He turned his head from the ceiling to her dark eyes. "Want to know what I see you as? I see you as a power hungry, over achieving bitch who just can't take a hint. Why couldn't you have just left me alone and not worm your way into my life…into my mind…into my HEART!" he stopped for a moment to ponder that last statement. With a quick chuckle, he said quickly, "If that's even possible."  
  


He had given up...he couldn't do this..."Peter…fight this, please."  
  


"Why? It's so much fun" he said with a quick squeal. He didn't need to feel the urge to be good. His mind had often wondered what it would be like to be the other guy committing the crimes and just plain being the bad guy. He wanted the control and power that came with it...all of his former ways of thinking were now a joke to him, a joke of which he laughed heartily at.  
  


Kristi shook her head slowly. "You don't mean any of this."  
  


"Open your eyes sweetheart." He inched closer to her fallen face. With a menacing tone he added, "Babe, you gotta learn, life's a bitch and so is the truth, so just accept it and move on." He sucked his teeth at her. "Poor thing…you believed in that love crap huh?" He laughed loudly. "Oh that's precious It's something called testosterone dear. Read a book about it." He turned his head so he would directly under hers. "Oh, what's the matter? Are you gonna cry now?"  
  


There were tears rimming her eyes."Pete, I love you…" One tear escaped and fell on his face.  
  


Something in him cause him to shutter but he blinked it away quickly. Covering his mistake, he stood up quickly, her gaze following his form. Nonchalantly, he said, "So…fucking… what?" 

She could have died right there. This wasn't him…she felt it wasn't him. "I'll leave you alone to shed your little pathetic ugly tears. Remember...tears are ugly things, are you sure really want them?" She sniffled quickly and turned her head away from him. He sneered at her face and wiped the moisture that had fallen from her eyes from his face. He walked away.  
  


Kristi turned her head to watch him saunter away. This couldn't be happening...this could not be happening. If they had gotten Peter...what could she do now? "Now, now dear Kristina...tear stained faces aren't very pretty ones."   
  


She restrained her tears long enough to glance evilly toward the shadows. "You, what have you done to him?"  
  


Klefton walked toward her slowly. "Nothing, we just gave him something that makes him see things differently. Not from his old goody two shoes manner, but from an egotistical, maniacal, deceiving, heartless manner. It just worked its way into his system." Klefton rocked on his heels with a wide grin. "I'm quite proud of myself really. He must have been wound up pretty tight to let loose on you like that."  
  


Kristi tightened her jaw. "That wasn't him at all. I know it wasn't."  
  


"Well," he buffed his nails on his shirt. "I think it was. We read some of his thoughts with a nice little handy dandy device. It told us some nice things…Once he stopped struggling, he told us some pretty tasty tidbits about himself." His green eyes found their way back to Kristi's wide ones. "Wow, you look surprised. Honestly," he sighed dramatically, "it was a spiritual thing. We really bonded." He laughed loudly. "Parker's a character! Probably the best part he recalled was when you two were sharing a bed…" Kristi felt herself shrink in her bonds. That was something special for them...just to have Klefton even mention it dirtied the entire thing. Klefton began to walk closer to her. With a snide grin he said in a whisper,"What really got him was seeing how long it would take for him to get into your pants…he really shocked himself." He placed his hand on his chest. "Hell...he shocked me! I know he was probably the dorkiest kid in town, but I gotta give it to him, he's a deceiving little bastard."  
  


Kristi narrowed her eyes into slits. "Liar."  
  


"Darling when are you going to learn that I mean everything I say? Do you know how much pleasure he got from you being under him? Hell…any man would I think so. The sheer thought of him being in control was enough to throw him into overdrive. I'm sure that's what caused you to feel your...soreness. My God, I didn't think the boy had it in him to be so damn rough!" Kristi was cringing from every word that came out of Klefton's mouth. This wasn't supposed to be for him to know...this was supposed to be between her and Peter...  
  


"I'm sure it was a great experience for him…to finally be in control and have a conquest of his own to put under his belt."  
  


Kristi took a deep breath before breathing out, "Stop it…"  
  


"Admit it, you were a true whore. Let's stroll down memory lane. As Peter so eloquently put it, 'She moaned my name like a whore and gripped my body like a real slut would.' Don't you remember? I'm sure you have fond memories of that night."  
  


"Stop…"  
  


"Stop what? Stop telling the truth…"  
  


She was about to break down. She felt violated and exploited. With all the shady looks Klefton was throwing her way, she could only imagine that he had gotten images of himself with her..."Stop…"  
  


"Well actually, if you must know, I'm a little jealous of the Spider Prick. He got to have you and I didn't…" He stepped even closer and looked her up and down. "God only knows how many times I've wanted to get a taste of little Miss Sweet Magnolias." He eyed her carefully, noting the fear he saw in her eyes. He almost felt bad for it..."Do you really think I'd take you right now? Oh no…Inconnu would have a fit…but at least I have my thoughts, that is, until you cross."  
  


"You've just given me newfound resistance to fight with."  
  


He scoffed at her comeback. "Oh I bet. You won't be able to resist it."  
  


"Well even if I do, which I won't, I'll certainly remember to come after with a knife and pull a Lorena Bobbit. Or maybe I'll use my mind and RIP it off. When I don't cross over, get out of here, and kick your ass, I'll still remember to do so. Either way, you'll lose a certain appendage."  
  


He furrowed in his eyebrows. "Feisty little cobra, aren't you? Even the less tamable creatures can be beautiful, intoxicating ones hmm?"  
  


"Let me have a little talking with the girl…" someone else said from the background.  
  


"Why are you doing this to Peter, he's done nothing to you."  
  


DeMarquise folded his arms. "Oh but he has. Web head has done plenty to me. Foiling my plans…hell, I'm just an entrepreneur in the world of crime and he had to go and step all over my business. My beef is with Spider boy…not you. Don't worry…I won't hurt him too much. You two will still have each other when this is all done with. He might not be in perfect functioning order as, I'm sure you've seen, but he'll still be functioning." She noted the bruises on the side of Peter's face but was in too much shock of his words to say anything about them.   
  


"Not if I have something to do with it..." Klefton said in a mumble.  
  


"I will join none of you."  
  


DeMarquise chuckled at her child like innocence. "Oh but you see…you don't have much of a choice in the matter. That serum that will convert you…is a nice little concoction of mind control and mind alternation. It's so potent…nothing can stop it once its in your system except for the occasional force of lightening or something similar to it, but even then, if you get near a rain cloud, it will have been in your system for so long, it will become a part of you…so you see, it's inevitable."  
  


"No."  
  


Klefton rolled his eyes at her furiously. "Damn fool. Stop being so noble and look at what's in front of you. You are a pointless waste of space whose only contributions to the world would be what's between your legs, your powers, and your soon to be easily manipulated mind. But I must hand it to you, you do come in a nicely wrapped package. I wasn't lying when I said you were a beautiful creature…but you would be an art form in motion if you joined us."  
  


Kristi growled out slowly, "I'm not looking to be anyone's Mona Lisa."  
  


Klefton smiled at her. "My dear child, you would surpass Mona with the speed of light."  
  


"That will be all Klefton and good doctor…leave me with her."  
  


Klefton nodded his head toward the dark figure. "Yes sire."  
  


As soon as the two figures left, then did the dark figure began to talk. "Well hello dear."  
  


Kristi felt a chill up her spine...it was the man from the warehouse. "Who are you?"  
  


"The one who has brought you so much joy these past few weeks."  
  


"What do you want?"  
  


Inconnu rolled his eyes. "Dear child, must we go through this YET again?" He held up his hands as he went towards a chair. "Fine then, I'll dispense with the pleasantries and jump straight to the point." Pulling it up to her, he sat down and began to explain. "I want you…" Kristi's head shrunk back in disgust. The figure's mouth curled into a smile and then made a loud laugh. "Don't look at me like that…I'm not a testosterone driven man like dear Klefton, but don't worry." He leaned his head in closely and whispered to her. "You'll soon be rid of him permanently. He over stepped his boundaries when he had his first sexual thought of you." Kristi relaxed some, but she knew she should be on her guard. There was something very protecting of this man...  
  


Scooting back, he cleared his throat. "Poor thing…you are left in the dark about a few things. Klefton and the Doctor's crude way of explaining things wasn't quite the right road to take with you. So, here's what I'll do, I'll allow you three questions with complete straight up answers. You have my word."  
  


What good would his word be? She thought only for an instant before the first question came to her mind. "Why did you kill my mother?"  
  


"I didn't kill your mother," he said coolly.  
  


"You were involved. Her blood is on your hands."  
  


"No" he barked. He calm down a moment before beginning again. "No…I did not carry out the order. My colleague, the good doctor, did. I did not want your mother harmed."  
  


"Why me and Spider Man?"  
  


"You mean that Peter boy? Well, my colleague wanted him as a vendetta of some sort. I thought it might be nice for you to have a playmate when you cross."  
  


Kristi shook her head at him. "I won't do it."  
  


He shook his finger at her. "You say that now…As for you, I've watched you your entire life. I wanted to make sure you were with me…"  
  


Watched her her entire life? "Who are you?"  
  


"I am Inconnu. If you remember your French verbs that you learned in 6th grade, you would remember that Inconnu means unknown. I am a man of my word and a businessman to a fault. I'm an under lord, I guess you could say. I own more than half of this country's shady dealings and am renown in Europe."   
  


"My dealings spanned for almost six years and yet my mind stayed focused on who would take over when I was gone. I acquired so much in so little time, because my life was stripped from me." He paused for a moment as if he was thinking of how best to say them. "Vengeance is a strong emotion… I had a family, well paying, honest job, and the respect of my friends. Over a course of weeks, I discovered that I was linked with an under lord, but not by my own volition. It was all false of course. One of the people I worked with needed a fall guy, and I fit the mold. There was a crime war going on that I knew nothing about, yet it was centered around the 'fact' of my false association with certain criminals. A plot was set for me to be murdered…a nice planned accidental death. I was passed off as dead…little did they know, I escaped. I was made an ally with criminals alike because of my vast intelligence and information thrown at me because of my previous problem. As a result of joining into crime ventures, I acquired a mass of wealth, power, and respect in the underworld. Some refer to me as the Godfather because of this."  
  


"Not a day went by that I hadn't thought about what I left…I couldn't go back and reconcile. The damage was done and too many people would be in danger, since I have a face that most can't forget… I was ashamed of what I had become: a monster to some, God to others. I immersed myself in this and the product is my massive empire. So who am I: Inconnu, the unknown, good guy gone bad, Godfather, God, businessman, or monster? You can take you pick, but I'll leave you with something to ponder about: I'm a family man…your mother, beautiful, darling Nina, was not suppose to fall victim to this." He paused yet again. His dark eyes fell toward the ground once he began to talk again. "That was why…I stayed away. Kristina Marie Devun, protection is not only a concern, mio Bebe, it is an issue. Your intelligence, cunning, quick headedness, and even your mother's boldness is also a factor. I need you here…I want you here. Why not make this a…family business?"  
  


Kristi's eyes widened as she shook her head slowly. "No…this…this isn't true." She wouldn't believe it. "We...your body was burned. No one survived that." She couldn't believe it.  
  


Inconnu shrugged his shoulders as he stood up. "It's amazing what some people can live through."  
  


Something tingled in the back of her head..."I don't believe you."  
  


He narrowed his eyes as he exclaimed quickly, "Oh but you do! Your eyes deceive you child. Eighteen days before your birthday, your father walked away and never looked back-"   
  


Kristi shook her head while swallowing hard. "You're just an imposter trying to sway me. It won't work."  
  


"I, your father, did not want to face you and your mother like this. Your lives would have been in danger and I didn't want you and your mother to go through living with a monster."  
  


Kristi tightened her jaw. "My father would have never thought like that. He knew he could never be seen as such."  
  


"Oh but I did…"  
  


"He's not a monster. He never would have been. I could always look him in the eyes and see everything good that was there. No matter what, he wouldn't have been a monster. You're a bastard to even pose as him because just from talking with you, you could never amount to the man he was. You…are… a… liar."  
  


"Oh really? LOOK!" He flipped a small switch and stood only a few inches away from her face. "Look very hard. Look familiar Bebe?" Her face turned white. "What? Do ghosts scare you? You want to see daddy's bad side? Take a good look!" he yelled as he grabbed her turned face so she could see the burned deformities on his face, the deformities that the many surgical procedures could not fix. "Hideous isn't it? Did that scare daddy's little girl?" he said as he roughly let go of her cheek. "Huh? Did it? Answer me Kristina."  
  


The air seemed to be thining out all around her. How could something like this happen? "I-I-"  
  


His dark eyebrow rose."You what? Hmm…you should think twice before calling father a liar. Look at what the past has brought you: a dead mother, and the walking dead. Look hard my dear. Look at my eyes with your own, the same ones that you inherited from me. Look at me, if you can bear it, and tell me that you don't think it's me. Tell me that you don't think that I am Kenneth Desmond Devun. Call me a liar to my face…now. Do it Kristina." As much as she opened her mouth, she couldn't do it... "I knew you couldn't…"  
  


"Why would you leave us? We could have come with you…cleared your name…"  
  


"It wouldn't have mattered. I believed you wouldn't be able to live with a monster."  
  


"We wouldn't have cared-"  
  


He slammed his fist against the wall. "But I would have. I didn't trust myself around you…I didn't trust myself around your mother. That chemical spill and fire left me scarred mentally and physically…I can accept that, but I refused to expose you to it…Part of me was untamable."  
  


"We would have stayed-"  
  


"This beast can't be exorcized nor tamed. I've said enough for one meeting. I'll call on you later, but now, I have some business to attend to with Klefton. Feel free to be an audience." His tall stature strode confidently to another chamber that stood in front of her. She stayed there, too stunned to move...too shaken to do anything. That night in the hotel at her mother's funeral....it had to have been him. He had been there to comfort her.   
  


The man at the hospital...it had to have been him.  
  


Why was he doing this now!  
  


She looked up quickly to shout something to him when she saw him in the chamber with Klefton. It reminded her of a glass cage. There was a rising pain in her stomach that left her nervous and in a dreading state.  
  


Klefton stood inside of the corridor looking Mr. Inconnu. Bowing slightly, he said quickly, "Hello sire. Is she more willing?"  
  


"I believe so, but there is another matter at hand that I need to deal with. Were you aware that I could hear everything you said to her…were you?"  
  


Klefton's eyes showed confusement. "Well yes sir."  
  


"Did you have a sudden memory loss of my orders? What was my stance on you and your all too wondering mind?"  
  


Klefton held up his hands in defense. "Mr. Inconnu, I swear, I never touched her."  
  


"Oh but your eyes did. I believe those to be far worse than your bare hands. How could you not heed my warning you insignificant man"  
  


His eyes widened in fear. Breathing quickly, he sputtered, "I've done nothing wrong I've done all of your orders-"  
  


Inconnu shook his head at the man..."Except one of the most important ones…"  
  


"Those things I said, I said them to get her upset, angry."  
  


Inconnu chuckled at the pitiful man. "The serum wasn't in her…and you knew it. Her being angry wouldn't have converted her because the hormone and the serum weren't present Oh no…there was something else between the lines…"  
  


"I didn't mean them."  
  


"You were the first to try out the equipment we used on Peter Parker. Take a good look at your thoughts…" Inconnu took out a disk and inserted it into the computer that was connected to the wall. Typing in a few codes, brainwaves were soon displayed on the monitor.   
  


Klefton turned a shade whiter. "I-I thought it wasn't being recorded."  
  


"Someone must have slipped and hit the switch."  
  


"Mr. Inconnu please-"  
  


"That equipment is formatted to show what has happened and shows intentions by looking at the waves in your brain. So strong were the waves from your brain that they went off the scale What do you have to say to that?"  
  


"I-I never-"  
  


"Don't stand there and lie to me. The fact is, you planned and plotted to do the thing that I gave specific orders for you not to do."  
  


"But I've done nothing," Klefton reasoned.  
  


"And you aren't going to have a chance to. So, I'll stop this little quest of yours before it starts. So…you are going to pay…dearly." Taking a deep breath, he said quickly, "You leave…right now. You get nothing, you will have nothing. You ....are....gone. Be thankful I'm this merciful…"  
  


Klefton opened his mouth to respond but soon closed it. Just that quickly...everything was gone..."Thank you sir." Klefton turned his back to the man and clenched his fists tightly. Inconnu walked out with a grin implanted on his lips. Smiling slyly, he pressed a few buttons and the doors slid shut…locked.  
  


Klefton looked up when he heard the doors bolting shut and felt a small build up in pressure. He walked to one door and typed in a few codes. The doors didn't open. He ran to the other door that was nearly closed. He slid to the door only to have it shut in his face with locks clicking in unison. His forehead began to sweat in beads as he looked around nervously. When he looked out the room, he saw Inconnu standing with his arms folded, lips pursed, and eyes hooded by lashes with his hand on a switch. Klefton began to shake his head quickly in silent protest…slowly mouthing no…  
  


"I told you you would be leaving…"  
  


Klefton put his hands on the window quickly in a plea. "Stop, please…I'm like a son to you!" He felt dread in the pit of his stomach as tears began to spring to his emerald eyes.  
  


Inconnu sneered happily. It made him feel wonderful inside to know that he could bring a grown man to tears. "You aren't worthy enough to bear the Devun name."  
  


His now glassy, red eyes faltered slightly in confusion as a name from the past was thrown to him. "Devun?"  
  


Inconnu widened his opaque eyes in a challenge. With a sneer that would rival the Grinch's, he yelled to him, "Think quickly son! Do you remember Kenneth Devun? He was a man in Louisiana who was a regular guy, doing his job, when someone concocted a plan to have him murdered as a fall guy in a crime war? Do you remember?" Klefton's tanned face went white. Inconnu's lips curled into an even wider smile. He knew…oh how sweet this was! Placing a hand on his cheek, Inconnu said surprised, "Oh you do remember." His shocked face turned back in a smile. "Take a good look at your benefactor of four years…Ever felt like you've known someone, but never met them? Meet the dead."  
  


Klefton shook his head in protest. "Wait please, it was my job!" His breathing became harsh as reality hit him that the biggest blow to him was about to be dealt. "Even you as a businessman could understand that Please…some pity, it was a job..." his voice quivered in a beg.

Inconnu shook his head slowly, all the while chuckling at Klefton's desperate facial expressions. "No…too late for penance. After all…it is only awarded to the truly penitent." Inconnu's dark eyes wondered onto the control board, his hands flexing in and out of a fist. He shrugged his shoulders the argument given to him. "And besides boy, don't come to me with it being just a job. I don't kill unless it's a threat or a score to settle." He slammed his fists down on the control board. "Damn it You didn't know me!"  
  


"Stop please!" Klefton locked his shattered jade eyes on Inconnu's storming brown ones. Concentrating every once of strength he had, he held Inconnu's gaze. "No…you will let me out of here…" he droned on.  
  


Inconnu laughed at his feeble attempts. "Mind games won't work on me, son. My mind is far more stronger than you anticipated, huh?"  
  


Klefton's face went a shade whiter. Banging a hand on the glass, he shouted a "Wait-" Inconnu turned the intercom off. Klefton looked around the room and saw the speakers closing up… He shook his head quickly screaming for mercy, all not heard. Inconnu flipped another switch. All of the intercoms and speakers were covered in metal instantly. Four seconds passed by…it was the longest four seconds of Klefton's life. All his mind could concentrate on was what would happen to him. He knew how Inconnu worked. His methods were painful…only for the people he had true hatred for. He vowed to himself to never be on that list…little did he know, the damage had already been done those fateful six years ago…   
  


A quick sloshing was heard. When Klefton's head perked up, he saw water splashing through the vents, falling at his feet. His brown Armani pants began to become soaked from the flowing water. Looking around helplessly, he ran to one of the glass walls and threw himself against it, trying desperately to break it. He knew the room's design…he designed it. It was futile to assert his energy trying to break through the three foot thick glass. When he designed the room…it was for research…not a death chamber   
  


He never had water pipes installed into the ventilation system…   
  


His eyes flew up at Inconnu. That was why he had picked him to go work at the firm; he would be out the way, never to know the changes Inconnu had made to room. He looked up at Inconnu as the water began to pour in faster and faster from his knees…to his waist…to his chest… his neck…to his head….  
  


He kept his arms moving, desperately trying to keep his head above the rushing water. His defined arms did there job only to soon be beaten by the flowing water. He was completely submersed, now. He looked to the vents quickly. He started for the closest one only to see it shut quickly in his face. The others soon followed the same suit, shutting out the only means of escaping…  
  


Kristi watched the whole ordeal in awestruck and scared. She looked at Klefton's submersed form and then back to her father. "Inconnu what are you doing You're killing him!"  
  


"That's the point dear."  
  


She let out an exasperated sigh. Kristi struggled with her mind to turn the locks. Hearing her cry out in pain, Inconnu sneered in delight. "Why in the world would you want this man to be saved? He ruined our lives and basically had plans for you to become his bondage slave I don't understand!"  
  


Opening her eyes, she argued with him. "He's a person H-he…this is torture!"  
  


"It's not torture if you plan on killing."  
  


Kristi winced in more pain…that damn serum. She wouldn't be able to free him and she knew it. Sadly, she looked to Klefton's struggling form. He had made so many moves on her, his evil and snide remarks made her want to wretch…she would have loved to see him squirm, but not die…   
  


Klefton eyed her carefully through the crystal water. It was his karma coming back to him. How ironic the situation is that the one person he helped capture, and forced their powers to be suppressed, would try to help him with the same powers he succeeded in restraining. He said a quick a prayer for her and then himself. It was a shame that now he realized how wrong everything was…too late.  
  


Klefton's face began to change colors as his eyes began to wander around aimlessly.   
  


This was his life…  
  


His lungs were burning now, and his vision was fading. With his body slowly filling with water and the spasmodic movements of his insides, the last thought that entered into his head was how the hell Devun survived and how did he find him?  
  


His mouth leaking what looked like blood, John Klefton met his death. Kristi's breathing sped up quickly as his figure began to sink slowly, his now bluish skin contrasting with the now light pinkish water. "How could you-"

"He disobeyed me. Besides, the boy was a bad apple."   
  


"But you aren't God You have no right you act-"  
  


"YOU are in no position to tell me how or how not to act!" Inconnu's voice thundered. "Has daddy fallen from his angel's pedestal? When are you going to learn: Kenneth Desmond Devun has changed....Get…over it. Just think of it as your favorite book character…The Count of Monte Cristo, making his début into the real world."  
  


"You really are a monster…"  
  


He chuckled at her. "Maybe next time you'll listen to daddy…"  
  


She shook her head at him. "You aren't my father….Inconnu."  
  


He sighed dramatically once more. "My God, must this pointless bickering ensue? Same facial features, hell, same bloodline! What is it about this that is so hard to believe?"  
  


"There's my father and then there's you. This is not my father. This is also the same person who kept MY father away from us."   
  


"It was my choice, just as this was."  
  


"Why didn't you come back? Your name could have been cleared."  
  


"You couldn't have lived with me."  
  


She couldn't understand this. "We wouldn't have cared."  
  


"But I would have! Don't you get that? Perhaps it may have been a mistake. After all, as you so eloquently put, I am not God.," he said with his voice full of sarcasm. "Why not claim and accept you now?"  
  


She turned her head from his. "I don't want your acceptance."  
  


"Soon, you'll want exactly what I tell you to want. So get over it. Don't cling to the past Kristina; it will eat you alive." And with that, he walked away.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Note: This is it and one more chapter that I had to add after debating about it for a while. I'm not going to do a sequel...I don't think. I haven't had any ideas to and right now I want to explore more genres of stories. I hope the people who read this enjoyed reading it as I did writing it. It's all a learning process...Later folks! 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Kristina remained tied up for another hour. She watched as the water was drained from the glass room and saw Klefton's body wrapped up to be disposed of. Things were looking grim...  
  


She turned her head from the sight. Inconnu had some bond with her...a parental bond. Maybe it would be enough to alter something....maybe she could strike a cord within him: father to daughter.  
  


Her caramel head dropped suddenly. As she stated an hour before, her father was gone, a madman ruled his body....  
  


She had no clue how to get out of this one. Her thoughts fell on Peter. For once, she actually feared that she would never see his beautiful blue orbs shining back at her...they would be replaced with corrupt-filled, black masses that would remain dull and dark. She swallowed hard at the thought. Would he kill Peter to get to her? Would he kill her if she refused?  
  


She was so unsure of everything now it seemed. Her hooded eyes stayed downward, staring at the tile floor while she let her mind wander. Nothing could be determined yet. She couldn't use her powers, her strength had dwindled and now...  
  


She was trapped.  
  


There was a small shuffle of footsteps coming her way. It was curiosity that forced her to glimpse upward. An orderly came in with two armed men on his side. Kristina lifted her head all the way slowly. The orderly stopped one yard in front of her. Diplomatically, he said calmly, "Inconnu wishes to learn of the degree of your fatigue."  
  


Kristina's eyes fell into slits. This was completely unbelievable. Inconnu wants to learn the degree of her fatigue? He's got nerve. How about he get strapped to a wall for hours and then let's see how well he's doing! In a voice resembling the low rumble of a panther's growl, she spoke, "Tell him that my fatigue is something that I am shocked he would actually concern himself with. It's really nothing for him to bother himself with, heaven forbid he should actually care."  
  


The orderly was a bit taken back by her smart remark. "Do you wish to use the facilities at all?"  
  


"No thank you," her voice dripping with sourness.   
  


The orderly's eyebrow rose skeptically at the girl. Scoffing at her smug defiance, he shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish." At with that, he shuffled off with the armed men. Kristina kept her head up until she heard the door close. Her body was exhausted from supporting her weight for so long. He'd take the defiance for now...this she knew. If she showed any kind of weakness now, who knows what will happen? But if she continued to show defiance...she could only imagine now that it would have a higher price.  
  


No one else approached her for what felt like hours. Kristina lost almost all sense of time in that room. The entire time, before she fell into her third bout of sleep, all she could wonder was what was he waiting for?  
  


Peter was given a temporary room that supplied most of his needs. His contentment with the room was not what plagued his mind; a small voice within him, something so small and minuscule, carried a flood of images into his mind. He wasn't sure exactly what they were for or from, but they bugged him relentlessly. He concentrated on his boss....the man that had brought him from his goody two shoes trenches to an echelon of freedom. He had the freedom to think evilly and as badly as he wished without the worry of whether it was right or wrong...right and wrong no longer had any meaning.   
  


Within those first hours of his transformation, everything was jumbled.....past images where mixing together, clouding all that he had known, all that he had stood for. When he saw Kristina, he felt exhilarated and alive. He relished in the fear that was in her brown eyes...the same brown eyes that always had the power to render him helpless...  
  


Not anymore.  
  


His mind indulged in her discomfort. After all, she had barged into his life and then tried to control it by baiting him, grasping him, and then getting rid of him like a used piece of trash. His mind often attempted to reason that their night together was him finally getting the power over her he deserved...the image of her whispering his name....he held power in his hands that night....That's what his mind was telling him.  
  


He used her body for power, he got it. He'd help his new boss get her by using her feelings for him against her. He finally felt power...that word love did not have any meaning to him now. Her beautiful dark chocolate orbs would control him no more... He had power.  
  


Or so he thought.  
  


That incessant voice that was the shell of who he TRULY was still spoke out fervently while his insides pushed that voice deeper and deeper into the depths of his mind to forget. That voice still kept talking though...  
  


Love and betrayal was what it was screaming to him! Love was what brought him to her that night...not a lust for power as he attempted to force himself to believe. Admitting to love was equivalent to admitting to a loss of control is what his mind reasoned. His belief in that was manifested in the delusion of her attempting to use him. That small voice kept crying out LOVE....She never used him, the only thing she was guilty of was loving him...  
  


The only thing he was guilty of at the moment was betrayal.  
  


That small, dreamlike voice that spoke in volumes kept his mind in awe, making him even more stubborn in attempting to quiet the nuisance. What was it the rest of his mind had told him? He worked for Inconnu now...that Inconnu would never lead him astray....That Inconnu had freed him from the controls of a female...that Inconnu was the only belief he needed.

……………………  
  


Inconnu watched Peter from an observation room while cutting an apple with a sharp silver blade. Peter's pacing showed worry and a possible inner struggle. Inconnu eyed the boy carefully before he shrugged his shoulders. The boy's mind was adamant when lead to believe that what it thought it was right. Although that worked as a Godsend for his times as Spider Man, his unrelenting hope for justice, it would now be used against him to suit Inconnu's needs.  
  


If he would even need the boy that long.  
  


He placed a neatly cut piece of his apple into his mouth and chewed slowly. All he really wanted was Kristina. That damn doctor and his infatuation brought him to this point. True, if his main threat was on his side, obeying his command, then there would be no help offered for Kristina. Her raw vulnerability and feelings toward this boy would be what makes her submissive. Her protectiveness of this boy would be what would bring her to him. No matter what Peter said to her, she would always remain loyal and true to him, which included saving his life. She'd take the serum if he was in danger. Peter's submissive nature to Inconnu would force him to be a sitting duck. It was perfect.  
  


Inconnu popped another piece of the Red Delicious apple into his mouth. He reveled in its sweetness, the taste rolling off his tongue. Such sweetness...  
  


He glanced at Peter's form through the glass. He had now fallen onto his queen size bed, apparently in a slumber.   
  


The doctor....  
  


His thoughts of the doctor brought him from his small blissful state caused by the fruit.   
  


The doctor....  


Peter was ordained his play thing basically...The entire thought sickened Inconnu. He didn't want the boy tortured whenever DeMarquise needed to release some steam. That thought wrapped in with the bitter after taste of the fruit caused him to retract with a scowl. That would not be acceptable. No...as long as he had Peter in his pocket, Kristina would follow.   
  


He placed the last piece of the apple into his mouth.  
  


This in turn would mean that DeMarquise would not get what he wanted, since Peter would be used as Inconnu's pawn and not his torture toy. There was only one way to solve that problem.  
  


Kill him.  
  
  


He swallowed the last bits slowly, carefully indulging in his last thought even though his other side began to throw flags up in haste. He quickly shut that side up by offering it the sweet fruits of revenge. Inconnu took a deep breath while cleaning his sharp blade. Placing the handkerchief that he cleaned the silver edge with back into his pocket, he placed the knife back into it's holster and tucked it away into his jacket. With a small smile placed on his lips, he walked from the room.   
  


Next stop would be DeMarquise's chambers...  


............................................  


Peter stood up from the bed quickly, not alert, but not out of it either. His once blue eyes, recently turned to a dark azure, close to black, now ran with grayness. He began to walk...he knew not where, but let his feet take him wherever they desired.   
  


He passed many people, acknowledging not one of them. His clouded orbs stayed focused on what was in front of him. He wasn't aware of his actions as he wasn't aware of his destination. 

..................................................  


Inconnu took his time getting to DeMarquise's room. He occupied himself with the thought of Kristina. He smiled to himself when the orderly relayed the message that Kristina had given him. My God that girl had spunk just like her mother....  
  


His smile fell slowly as Kenneth's last memory of his wife engulfed their mind.   
  


He could picture himself entering her room stealthily and cautiously, his black coat swishing around his body. He remembered her soft hazel eyes gazing at the top of their daughter's head while her paler, weaker hands stroked the hair that she had loved to brush. He remembered her small eyes, almost brimming with small diamonds that refused to fall. Her hand froze over Kristina's head. With a bravado in her voice, she asked sternly, "Who are you?"  
  


He remembered how that room looked...flooded with flowers and sweet scent of them coming together, just like he was with his wife and daughter. Calmly, he said, "A visitor."  
  


He remembered the skeptical look in her face. "I see that much. Who are you?" He could see her peeking into the shadows attempting to see his face, but he had much practice in that art.   
  


Calmly he said, "Keep your voice down. You'll wake up Kris." He smiled to himself at her facial expression of confusion and then wave of defiance.  
  


"Do I need to buzz someone?"  
  


He held up his hand in protest as he began to walk from the shadows toward her. In a lowered tone, he murmured a slow, "No Nina…of course not."  
  


The green shards in her eyes sparkled for a moment as reality hit her, leaving her with the only gesture of covering her mouth with her hand. "Kenneth…it-it can't be."  
  


Sitting down in the chair closest to her, he said that same soft tone, the obvious. "I never died."  
  


"The fire-"  
  


"Pay off fixed all evidence to point to death."  
  


Her face began to gain its color back, a crimson color of hurt. Lowering her voice, she spoke with a broken voice,"Why did you? Why did you leave us Kenneth?"  
  


He remembered the internal struggle when she said his name. For that brief moment, there was a debate on who he really was. He lifted his head and turned it to the side so she could see the extent of his injuries.   


For a second time that night, she clasped her hand over her mouth. "Your face..." she said with a small tear.  


"The chemicals and the flames…" Her hand reached forward to touch him, to touch his deformed face.  


Her cooler hand slid over his face slowly, before turning his head so she could see his eyes. She saw sad, dark, regretful eyes..."Darling why didn't you stay? I want to know" she hissed.  
  


He sighed slowly as he held her hand to his face. "You didn't need a monster in your life." He had missed her touch so much. He had to struggle so much to keep Inconnu at bay. He couldn't destroy this for him...not now.   
  


Nina turned her head to the side to get a better look of him. "I wanted you in my life." Her hand slowly went up and down the cuts and crevices of his cheek. "You and Kristina were my life."  
  


His face fell slowly in shame. "I couldn't do it…"  
  


Even he couldn't forgive himself for the pain he caused her. "Why not? If not for me, then our daughter. She needed you…"  
  


He remembered how there was only an instance where he was upset with her. "I know that" he hissed at her. " I look in the mirror everyday with regret in me since I left. I couldn't come back to you. It's not me…"  
  


She repositioned soundly sleeping Kristina so she would be on her side on the hospital bed. "Yes it is...If it wasn't, you wouldn't have come, would you have?"  
  


His eyes flared up with emotion. "Look at me Does this look like the man who pledged his life to you?"  
  


He remembered how her analytical hazel eyes analyzed every feature of his face. With no regret in her voice, she said softly, "Yes."  
  


He made a small scoff. "Liar. Monsters don't have people like you in their life." He slowly began to shake his head. "Not significant others.... husbands…if I'm even that anymore," he said solemnly.  
  


Nina turned her head to the side compassionately. He remembered her hand as it lifted his face up to look at her. She gave him a small smile before looking back to his left hand. Warmly, she said, "Yes…you are. You are my husband." Her hand had run over his hand that still bore his wedding ring. She placed her left hand over his as she began to stroke it gently. "I've accepted that and I still accept it." Kenneth nearly died when he saw her eyes. God...after twenty-two years, he was still in love this woman.  
  


His head fell slowly onto her caramel shoulder hidden under the white hospital gown. He remembered how she smelled like ginger and apple spice, like always. He sighed into her neck like a child when she reached up and stroked his night black hair, slowly running her fingers over its spikiness, just like when they were first married.  
  


Then something fell over him. His entire body stiffened quickly as he jerked his head back up. "Inconnu leave me please..." was what he pleaded with himself..."Not now..."  
  


He felt her hands shift, lifting one to his face. "What's wrong?"  
  


His breath started to quicken as he fought Inconnu urgently. His body began to tremble slightly. "I'm turning…I can't stay."  
  


He remembered how he attempted to turn away from her for a second time, but she did not take that as an answer once more. "Wait Stay a little bit longer…please?" The pleading in her eyes would undo him. "I don't think there's anything the doctor's can do, but I would like for you to stay…please."  
  


Just her asking of him was enough to fight even harder. "I'll stay as long as I can…but," he began to stutter over his words. "I…he's so hard to suppress," he said almost in a whimper.  
  


"He who?" She was so sympathetic toward him...  
  


He cried softly, "Inconnu He's controlled me. We've merged together now…but I have to fight so hard…" His eyes fell once more. He remembered the anguish he felt just from being in her presence and the strength it took for him to keep Inconnu from getting to his Nina.  
  


She was quiet for sometime....he had felt for a moment that he had scared her somehow. "Has Kristi seen you? Does she know?"  
  


His head perked up to look at her. Her face was now on Kristi's sleeping one. He felt himself turning slowly and discretely..."No…but she will soon enough…."  
  


Inconnu shook himself of the memory. His dark lashes covered his eyes once, catching two tears that threatened to fall. His face tightened into his all knowing scowl. He slowly gained his composure back, remembering why the tears had threatened to fall...  
  


Nina was taken from him by that damn doctor.   
  


Kenneth threw up no more flags in protest. It was at this time that Kenneth knocked on the door and it would be he who would deliver the deadly blow. He promised himself that he would keep his cool until necessary. Composure was the key....  
  


Revenge the battle cry.   
  


Hearing movement on the other side of the door, he was soon met by the quick swoosh of the door. DeMarquise gave his friend a small smile. "Well Inconnu, what a pleasant surprise."  
  


Kenneth smiled. "We have a great many things to discuss."

..............................................................

Peter continued to walk until he somehow found himself in the room where Kristina was being held. There were no guards there...there was no need for them. He opened the door slowly and walked inside.   
  


His eyes scanned the spacious room as he walked forward. He continued to walk until he saw the slumped body connected to a wall...a female's slumped body. His body stopped for a moment before continuing to walk forward.  
  


He stopped just inches from her, his head cocked to the side. He looked at her with confusion though nothing registered at all. Slowly, he lifted a hand to mass of dark hair. He touched it...  
  


It felt so silky between his fingers. The touch was magnetic, forcing him to lean in closer. His hand stroked the hair down....down...down to its semi curly tips. It was then that the ambitious hand reached underneath the hair. It went upward until it felt the softness of skin. So smooth...so unscarred....  


So beautiful.  


His hand raised the face slowly, it fell slightly to the side from laxness. His hand was so gentle that the being never awoke from slumber. He stared at the face for a moment longer, still not being able to register the beauty. He felt no conflict, he felt no right nor wrong. He just let his hands feel, and his eyes see and his nose smell, only the basic of the senses. He couldn't assess what it was that caused his hand react the way it did against this silky skin that was slightly dampened with sweat.  
  


Kristi was gone. Her mind was in a whirl of its own. She felt something so distant, something feathery and delicate, almost apologetic. It was such a delicate touch that it left her leaving her defenses down. She embraced the gentleness....  
  


Peter continued with his touches...his sense of smell, his sense of sight and soon....his sense of taste. He leaned in and kissed the lips very slightly.  
  


Kristina's eyes fluttered open slowly. She was about the flinch away from the touch of lips on her own until it clicked in her head.  
  


But it couldn't be...he had long left her. The words he said earlier...those burning words that left an open wound in her, stung her once more. That pain and the small tingle of...was it love or remorse? The mixture of pain and that unknown feelings left her confused for a moment, only to jolt her back into reality. She turned her head away from him, breaking connection with the lips.  
  


Peter pulled away slowly, still unaware of what was going. He stared at the person in front of him with wide open eyes, not blinking once.   


Kristina peered at Peter carefully. Was he asleep? She couldn't tell. All she could see was a hypnotic gaze in his eyes that left her baffled. What was he doing here? "Peter?" she whispered. She received no response. "Peter?"  


His gaze stayed on her when suddenly he shook his head and fell to his knees. Her first reflex was to kneel by him, but because of her bonds, was unable to do so. He stayed there on all fours for a moment trying assess why he was on the floor. He looked up quickly to see Kristina peering at him. "Peter?" He couldn't deny the worry in her voice. For a moment, there was happiness in his eyes just to see her care.   


A split second later, his gray eyes turned into their icy dark azure ones. He stood up slowly, a glaciery gaze in his eyes. He stared at her carefully and menacingly. A wave of puzzlement covered him, yet he left it all alone.  


Kristina peered at him, unsure of what to expect next from him. "Peter?"  
  


He blinked once before turning to stalk out of the room. Kristina just watched his form with puzzlement but with a small smile on her lips. Inconnu conquered his conscious state, but his subconscious state...that was a different story.

.................................................

DeMarquise writhed in pain as he reached constantly behind his back to remove the blade that was deeply embedded in his back. Struggling, he said in pain filled grunts, "Inconnu we had a deal You promised me protection-"  
  


Kenneth stalked toward the man in anger. "No…" He reached behind the much smaller man and wiggled the knife around some, causing yelps to come from the man's mouth. "I promised your people protection…and they will get it, but there will be no mercy shed for you." He removed the knife only to plunge it further in inside the man's back in another spot. He sneered his last words. " Murderer!" He grabbed the man by the collar and threw him to the ground.  
  


DeMarquise, down on all fours attempted to crawl to the door. Kenneth slammed his foot down roughly onto the man's spine. He smiled once more when he heard the man groan in pain. "You're upset because I got the girl's mother killed?" he asked between the tears that were coming to his eyes. The pain...God the pain was horrible.  
  


Kenneth bent down and picked the much smaller man up. "Don't you remember?" He steadied his weaker body against his own. "Not only did you kill her, but you killed Kenneth Devun oh so long ago." He took the knife out and dug it into his back once more.  
  


He yelled out in pain. The confusion was blinding him along with the sharp pains caused by his gaping wounds."How would you know-"  
  


Kenneth wiggled the knife around in his back more. "The past always comes back to you."  
  


Even between the blinding pains, realization hit him. "Kenneth stop it. I-I always l-liked you." Beginning to cough, he said in between breaths, "It was only business!"  
  


He sneered at him menacingly, holding off his finally jabs until all was heard...until all could be understood. "How does it feel to get stabbed in the back with the same knife you so roughly stabbed me with?"  
  


DeMarquise lifted his head slowly, fear dripping from every feature he owed. "Kenneth…NO..."  
  


Kenneth removed the knife once more to say the four final words that the doctor would ever hear, "Revenge…is a bitch." He placed the knife in the man's back once more, specifically so it would pierce his heart, before dropping the body onto the black rug. He walked into the man's bathroom and cleanse his hands of the blood.  
  


He watched the crimson color swirl in pools down the drain with a satisfied look on his face. Revenge is over....  
  


Now for the reconstruction of what was taken from him.  
  


It was time.  
  


Inconnu went back to his room and placed a special suit on. He summoned one of his men to get Peter into the room with Kristina, the antidote, serum, and mind releaser. She would choose now.  
  


Kristina was left in her thoughts fo some sort of hope. Peter wasn't completely gone...that much was sure. What would happen to her though.

Three men in white coats opened the door roughly, alerting her that she was now no longer the only one in the room. She looked at them wearily, noticing that one of them had a needle and the other a gas mask. No more than ten seconds passed that the door swung open once more, this time with Inconnu and Peter by his side.

The sight disgusted Kristina.

Inconnu came striding in with a smile on face. "Hello Kristina." Kristina narrowed her eyes at him, but kept herself in check. He rose his eyebrow at her comically. Her defiance amused him greatly.  


The first man inserted the needle roughly into her right arm. The last man without the gas mask set what looked like a timer.

"Five minute mark," he said quickly. The man with the gas mask quickly placed it over face, to her dismay. She began to twist her head from left to right so he couldn't get it on. The man looked back to Inconnu with a skeptical look on his face. Inconnu shrugged his shoulders at him and pulled out the long blade that had killed the doctor earlier. Carefully, he placed it around Peter's neck in the action that looked as though he'd slit his throat.

Kristina involuntarily bent forward, but it was useless. "Peter!" He didn't respond to her. His eyes stayed forward with that weird gray still in his eyes. He wouldn't even defend himself...Inconnu rose his eyebrow in challenge. The scientist placed the mask over her mouth and nose without her even flinching once.

Inconnu smiled as he removed the knife from the base of the boy's neck.

The scientist squeezed the bulb at the bottom very slowly. He watched her eyes as they slowly began to roll around. Good...she wasn't fighting.

Kristina knew that if this was any indicator of the last time, then he would have to get her mad to release a hormone of some sort... She would just keep her anger in check and not get flushed.

The man removed the mask slowly after the man with watch said, "Five minute marker." They eyed her carefully before releasing her bonds.

Kristina's eyes watched carefully as they removed her bonds. She fell to the floor instantly. Did they paralyze her? She moved her hands carefully. No..she wasn't paralyzed. It was most likely from fatigue.

"So...how are you doing?" She narrowed her eyes at him instantly, but refused to answer him. His dark brow rose in shock. "My, my, you aren't one for conversation are you?"

"We have nothing to talk about."

Inconnu shook his head at her. "Why is there never anything to talk about? Okay, you know the rules, now are you going to come like a good little girl and the less painful way or are you just going be a stubborn brat and keep up the facade?" Inconnu said as he pulled up a chair and lounged in it.

Kristina steadied herself to her feet. Leaning against the wall for support, she crossed her arms with silence as her answer.

Inconnu sighed at her before beginning to talk once more. "Why do you constantly put up a fight? There is nothing that you can do. When are you going to come to terms with this?" He nodded his head toward Peter. "Look at the boy. Peter?" Peter turned his head slowly toward Inconnu. In a voice used by a dog owner, Inconnu said subtly, "Kneel." Peter did as he was told. Kristina stood there in shock and wariness. This wasn't going to be easy. There seemed to be no other way out of this....The more she thought about it, she more her head began to hurt.

Inconnu noted the change in her facial expression. He sneered calmly. It was already beginning to work. Clearing his throat, he asked sardonically, "What's the matter? Got a bit of a headache?" Kristina's eyes threw daggers at him. He just sighed at her. "You didn't think I would go down that anger road again, did you? Come now, being the business man that I am, I learn from my mistakes." Kristina's shoulders shrunk some...There had to be a way out of this. 

Inconnu smiled deviously at her. "Now do you think we have something to talk about?" Hearing no response, he said slowly, "Now, if you resist, you'll receive pain. You'll receive an abundance of pain. You've seen my previous work, so I'll take it you believe me." He eyed her carefully for a second before standing up. He walked toward Peter's kneeling body. He placed his deformed hand on his head and began to pet him slowly.

Kristina gritted her teeth at him, flexing her hand in and out. Between gritted teeth, she said angrily, "Don't...touch...him."

Inconnu's eyebrow rose in a challenge. "And what do you plan do about it?" Kristina looked to Peter slowly. She didn't know what she would do about it. She had nothing. Inconnu calmly coaxed to her, "You could use your powers..."

Her head perked up. Her powers? No...this had to be a trick of some sort. Inconnu noted her hesitancy. "Go ahead, you have my word, but only one of them will work." Only one? She attempted to levitate the chair, but to her dismay, it made her head hurt. Inconnu chuckled at the pain on her face. "Obviously not that one."

Kristina made a low growl toward the man. She held up her hand and concentrated on the electricity. A small bolt shot from her hand. Okay...she had electricity, but why would he do this? She felt a sharp pain in her head, but felt her leave her just as quickly as it came. "What 's the catch?"

Inconnu shrugged his shoulders. He needed only ten minutes... "Well...why haven't you attempted to blast me?"

"There's something more to this."

Inconnu smiled brightly while clasping his hand together in joy. "Good! You are learning to listen to everything...very good." He cleared his throat while he dug around in his pocket. "If you haven't figured out, you have the mind serum in your body."

"I can fight it."

"You are not that strong dear, so don't bet on it. Now, you're changing at this very moment, so listen up carefully. There is only one serum that can reverse the changes...." He pulled out a three-inch vial that was filled with an amber fluid. "And here it is!" He taunted her by shaking it. "Now, the question is: Who is going to take it? You or Spider boy?" He began to pet Peter's head once more. "Just think! You could save yourself...fight me and/or Spider-Man..." He sucked his teeth at her. "That doesn't seem too fair now does it? Or, you could give it to Peter. He'd be back to himself, but you'd be mine. Think hard! This is the only reversal serum and it must all be taken in order to take effect."

Kristina's shoulders fell. Damn him! She should have seen this coming... Damned if she did...damned if she didn't.... her head was already beginning to burn. "Now now dear...don't waste all of your time on this decision...you're running out of time. You are so close to the edge I can see the fire getting kindled in your eyes…what's it going to be?" Inconnu knew what she would pick..

Kristina held up her hand quickly to shoot a bolt at him in anger. "Hold it! You fry me and the solution is gone! It will be fried...as for me...I ha ve protection from electricity. Don't try any more tricks, dear." He could see her hand begin to flex in and out slowly in deep concentration.

She gritted her teeth tightly, what could she do? If she took it, there would be no way to save Peter. Her eyes fell to Peter sadly. It was her fault he was here...at least he'd have a chance of getting out of here. She swallowed hard as the words came from her mouth slowly. "Give it to Peter."

Inconnu's lips curled into a sneer. "What was that dear? Say it a little bit louder."

Breathing in slowly...she said calmly, "Give it to Peter." 

Inconnu's head nodded. "Good girl…I figured you would do some thing like that." Inconnu kneeled in front of Peter and handed him the vial. "Drink it," he commanded. Peter nodded his head as he unscrewed the top and drank it all in one gulp.

"When will I know he's okay?"

"Give him a minute." Peter stayed on his knees for a few seconds until his entire body began to waver. The grayness was slowly being drained from his eyes. He fell forward, but was quick with his hands in keeping himself from hitting his head on the floor. Suddenly he began to gasp loudly, as though air was being deprived from him.

Kristina's eyes widened slowly. God no....please don't let it have been poison.

Peter's face began to turn a shade of red as he began to gasp for breath. His mind sending in so many images into play. Everything became one image as he felt darkness start to cover him. His vision was becoming fuzzy with confusion and clouds...

He fell from his hands and began to shake quickly. Kristina watched slowly, too shocked to go to him. Instead her shaky gaze went toward Inconnu who was watching the boy carefully. Uttering a cry of anger, she flung her hands at him, bolts of yellow flowing from her hands toward the tall man.

Inconnu flew off of his feet and slammed against the glass wall roughly. He slid down to the floor for a moment before he felt another jolt being thrown his way. The pain was beginning to penetrate the suit. Her anger was what was penetrating the thin but powerful suit. Her anger would make her conform faster...

He still kept his wits about him though. He could hear her yells of obscenities and heard the scientists leaving the room in fear. He couldn't keep this up much longer....even his body and the suit wasn't that strong.

Peter was laying on the floor barely breathing. He coughed loudly before opening his eyes slowly. He lifted his head from the cold tile floor in an attempt to prop himself up. He felt as though he had been asleep....as though he had awoken from a dream....no not a dream....

A nightmare.

Peter peered toward the sounds being made in the room. "Kristi..." is all he whispered.

Kristina stopped her assault long enough to peer back at Peter, who at that moment was picking his face up from the ground. The electricity stopped immediately. Methodically, she lowered her hands and turned her back from Inconnu. Peter was alive...

Peter looked to her weakly. He remembered vaguely all that had happened, but it was all mixed together. He tried to stand up, but soon fell back down. Kristina was at his side almost instantaneously. He felt her arms...her wonderfully warm arms. For reasons unknown to him, he felt so unbearably cold.

Kristina felt him shiver as she looked into his eyes. They had returned to their beautiful blueness that always left her hypnotized. He was here...alive. 

No words would formulate in her mouth though... Inconnu had kept his word about the vial. Now...there was no hope for her....

Inconnu stood up slowly and stretched some. He almost felt sick to his stomach when he saw them together. Clearing his throat, he said quickly, "Oh Kristina..."

Kristina shivered at the sound of her name on his lips. She'd have to fight...but her head was beginning to pound much more than previously. Swallowing slowly, she let go of Peter and stood up.

Inconnu grinned at her. "It's almost time dear. But so you won't have anymore distractions, let me do you a favor." He pulled out the knife and threw it swiftly at Peter's form that still stayed on the ground.

Peter's spider sense went off faintly, but he didn't have the energy or sense to move...he didn't even know where. Kristina instantly knocked the knife from its original path with the electricity. 

With her not paying attention, Inconnu shot some electricity of his own at Kristina, knocking her off of her feet and across the room.

Kristina hit the ground roughly. When did he get powers!  
  
Inconnu smiled at her puzzlement while stalking toward her. "Dear...the suit. I can absorb your electricity and return it five times worse." He picked her up and slammed her against the wall. "Why don't you and daddy dance, just for fun? C'mon...just before you convert, why don't I take you on? Let's see if daddy's angel knows how to fight!" He took her from the wall and dropped her to the ground.  
  
Kristina was racking her brain for an answer to this...Peter was too weak to fight and she would turn to him no matter what. And now he had lightening. Kristina began to crawl from him for a moment while trying to think. 'Force of Lightening…' What was it the doctor told her earlier?

Inconnu snarled at her as she began to crawl from him. "Come, come dear. I would hope that leaving in New York would provide you with more sense than to crawl away from your opponent." Kenneth was throwing up flags immediately, Inconnu fought them off. 

Kristina turned around quickly and prayed she was right about this. She threw her arms into the air and shot out electricity toward him for as long as she could hold out. Her head's pounding was becoming unbearable. She shot him as long as she could...praying that it would be enough to change things...

She stopped when her vision began to become blurry. Inconnu stood over her carefully, contemplating whether he should just wait for her to conform or punish her just once for this....He smiled at her.

He threw his hands at her and let the electricity flow from them. "Why did you choose the much more dramatic way?" He said loudly over the crackling of the electricity. "Every little girl has to be punished!" He stopped for a moment from fear of possibly killing her. The time needed had allotted. When she stood up, she would be his. 

He was wrong.

Kristina opened her eyes slowly, feeling the pain in her head no longer....it worked. She wiggled her hands some and felt the floor. She was alive. Her brown eyes slowly made their way toward Inconnu. With a weak smile on her lips, she said quietly, "You lose."

Inconnu blinked his eyes quickly. "W-what! That's impossible!"  
  
Kristina began to scoot toward Peter's body, who was recuperating faster and faster by the minute. "My body is immune to lightening…the serum is not. You just destroyed the serum yourself…"  


Inconnu narrowed his eyes in anger. "No…DAMN YOU!"

Peter, fully aware of his senses, sent webbing to Inconnu's feet. Pulling hard, Peter, stood up and swung the man around, turning his own body around and around and then, let go of the webbing, causing Inconnu to crash into an electrical box. Inconnu's electricity along with the box's electricity, created a surge in the system, causing all outlets to burst with electricity. 

Every outlet in the room began to burst with flames, setting the room on fire. Kristina was still somewhat out of it when she felt the smoke singe her nostrils. Peter began to tug her to her feet. "Kris we have to leave. This place is going to blow." Helping her steady herself, he said with sarcasm, "What is it with us and burning buildings?"

Kristina scoffed at him before beginning to cough. "Peter..."

He smiled at her before pulling at her arms. "C'mon!"

Kristina began to run across the room with him to the exit with something nagged at her...Inconnu. She slowed her steps down and began to run the opposite direction. Peter turned around swiftly and grabbed for, but she was already gone. "Kristi!"

She ran back to Inconnu's form that laid mangled in wires. She stopped a few feet from him before walking toward him. What was she doing....

She wanted to see her father for a last time.

Kenneth's eyes were open now, his strong facial features squinting in pain as he attempted to move. Kristina knelt down by him and by instinct stared at his eyes. They weren't the same cold, near obsidian eyes that Inconnu's were...they were still dark, but something soft was in them.  
  
Kenneth stared at his daughter with remorse, sadness and happiness. During the entire time she was there, he had only looked at her as his daughter twice: when he told her what happened to him and at that moment. Every other time, she was looked at as a possession....a pawn. He didn't know where Inconnu was...maybe he got knocked out of his head,; he didn't care. He finally got to see his daughter.

Kristina nearly fell back when she saw his eyes. By instinct, she began to attempt to untangle him.  
  
Kenneth freed a hand of his and held it over her own to stop her movement. Softly, he said, "I don't know if he's gone, but I know a way to make sure of it." He removed her hands, closed his eyes and sat there."

Kristina shook her head at him. He couldn't tell her that he was just going to sit there and do nothing. She began to undo his bindings once more. "Come on, let me help you up. We gotta get out of here."  
  
He made a soft chuckle at her. "Oh Bebe...I'm so, so sorry....Leave without me."

"Dad..." Her voice fluttered as the word came from her mouth. She had forgotten how nice it sounded to say that. "I can't leave you...not like this. He's gone."  
  
"He's never fully gone," he said solemnly. "But I can make him be gone. Now leave."  
  
She began to tug at the wires once more. "Let me help you."  
  
Kenneth pushed her hands away once more as he eyed the creaking ceiling a few feet in front of them. Firmly he said, "Leave."  
  
"No."  
  
His eyes fell back onto her determined face, giving her another smile. "Stubborn as your mother…" He saw the burning flakes from the ceiling begin to float down. "Leave me dammit!" And with that, he used his free leg to roughly kick her fifteen feet away from him. He could only hope that is was far enough.

She slid backwards across the floor, the air getting more and more difficult to breath. Coughing harder, she began to crawl back to him when Peter picked her up. "Kristi, what are you doing! We have to leave now!" And just then, part of the upper floor caved inward in front of her. Peter, with swift reflexes dove down in order to shield her from the burning debris. When he stood back up, parts of the ceiling were now blocking them off from Kenneth.  


"Dad…" was all she whispered. Peter wanted to go back in and get that man out, but this fire was getting out of control. He tugged at her hands quickly, pulling her toward the exit.  


Her last thought that moment was that for a second time in her life, she never got to say good bye....

They climbed over bits of fallen debris, slowly, but surely making their way to the exit. Once out the door, a vent on a wall not yet claimed by the flames, closed shut. 

.....................................................

The burning of the compound made the news within 36 hours. Kristina had read the newspaper article over and over again. "Mysterious Fire Burns Down Compound", by, none other than, Mikala Michaels. According to the story, it was said that the house belonged to a man whom the feds could never pin a thing on legally..."The mysterious crook is said to have died in the fire. At least twenty-four bodies were found,. no survivors." Kristina shut her eyes for a moment in an attempt to stop her tears.

Her father was gone...the last memory she had of him was of him kicking her away...

She could steady feel the droplets falling from her eyes carelessly. Her entire body began to tremble as reality hit her that her father left her again...this time not coming back.

She shuttered as she felt a warm hand on her bare shoulder. Her breath quickened for a moment before slowing down in an attempt to get a hold of herself. Peter massaged her shoulder slowly, hoping it would offer some sort of solace. His eyes watched her shaking form. He closed his eyes in pain wishing he would have gone back to get the man...

Peter felt blindly for the paper that was still clutched in her hands tightly. Once he wrapped his fingers around the tops of it, she released it. She released it with ease, allowing her watery eyes to follow the path of the hand that abducted the paper. It slowly dropped the paper carefully onto the carpet. Her eyes never strayed from the picture of the burning compound that took up most of the front page. Her heart sunk just like that paper sunk to the ground from gravity. Her body began to tremble once more as she tore her eyes from the picture. 

Peter's arms found their way around her smaller body. She was so heart broken. Through everything, through the death of her mother, all of his plans and manipulations, and when she found out his identity, she still had a place for him in her heart....

And now, that heart was slowly breaking with every passing minute. He tightened his grip around her, somehow hoping to block off all other pain that was assaulting her tired body. One hand made its way from her back up to her face, slowly stroking it out of compassion for her loss, love that he had only for her, and hope that he would be able to help her get through this...His lips found their way to her forehead, touching it lightly as he cradled her in his arms.

Kristina went into the warmth, wishing she could stay like this forever; protected in warm arms for forever.

A brief banging came to her door, causing her to jump slightly.

Peter looked to the door warily. He whispered into her ear, "I'll get it for you...okay?" She nodded her head. He released her from the cocoon of his arms and padded across the floor to the door. 

When he opened it, there was no one there. He took a step forward and looked down the hall. It looked as though no one had been there. Then something on the ground caught his eye...

Kristina watched Peter walk back inside with a confused look on his face. "What is it?"

Peter held the small box in his hands as he sat back down on the sofa. Handing her the box, he said quietly, "For you."

Kristina eyed the box warily before accepting the box from Peter. She lifted the lid off of the blue box. Inside were two papers folded up. Unfolding the first one, it read:

Ah dearest...I hope you receive this well. I've loved you your entire life, and I always will until the day I die. Forever you'll be with me, and I with you. Don't cry for me, my beautiful Bebe. Save those for someone who is truly worthy of them. Don't worry, I'll no longer bother you...I'll make sure it happens....Please accept these items as a token of peace. I part with them only on the thought that I am closing this chapter of my life. Life is nothing but changes...adjust to them accordingly as I have and will. I hope peace finds your way. 

So many changes for you...so many changes for me...Love you until the end of time I will, for my baby you'll always be.

Good bye Bebe.

Kristina's breath caught in her throat as she removed the other paper from the box to reveal her mother's missing ring and her father's wedding band. This couldn't be....

She grabbed the other piece of paper and opened it slowly. It was nothing more than the picture that was in the newspaper with two items circled in red: one was a raft and one was a boat in the distance.

A smile threatened to spread across her lips. She looked back to the rings and sighed. "Thank you dad...." she said to herself. 

"What did it say?" Her brown orbs looked up to Peter. His intent blue eyes were staring at hers with intrigue. 

The most beautiful smile spread across her face as she adjusted his arm around her waist. "Peace."  
  
  
  



	18. Chapter Eighteen Reflection

The wind had a gentle blowing to it. It was the type of wind that most would say was in a children's book: the so sweet kind that stays on your tongue with every breath. Kristina stayed on her park bench just relishing in the small echo the wind within her ears.  
  


Within the span of a few months shy of a year, she had been growing for what felt like a lifetime. Her father's "demise", resurrection, demise, and resurrection once more made her feel as though she was a part of some hidden soap opera, a true Stefano Dimera coming back from the dead. Her mother's death showed her...  
  


She scrunched her eyes for a moment. What did her mother's death teach her? Be weary of your time on Earth? Expect the unexpected? She shook her head at herself. NO...that stupid spider taught her that lesson. What did her mother's death teach her...it taught her that no matter how bad things got, they could always get worse. She chuckled to herself after the many times she had worried about her mother's therapy or her cancer getting worse. If anything, she realized that it was a blessing that her mother was not plagued with that cross to bear for a long period of time...at the moment, it seemed unjust for her to be killed so abruptly, but at least she didn't suffer as she could have.  
  


Kristina sighed softly. How could things change so quickly? Her mother was dead, her father was...somewhere on the in between and she could light up a room with not just a smile, but from the flick of her fingertips. All of this for what? The occasional problem of static electricity with her hair and...  
  


A smile passed across her lips. Was it really all that bad? Going through all of those events and changes only to have what in return, a special power and...Peter.  
  


Peter...now he was something to be quite happy for. She often wondered how a man could be so understanding...it was because he'd been there or somewhere in the area. He had been there, he understood, he cared...and he loved her. Such an incredible feeling it was!  
  


Her mind raced through the memories of the past months with him, the M.J. dilemma...Spring Break...  
  


M.J. and Harry were fairing just fine. They seemed to have blossomed within each other. M.J. was right, everything she ever wanted was looking her in the face the whole time...she just had a few wires crossed as to who it really was that was for her.  
  


Peace was what she told Peter the note had said, and perhaps it held more meaning now than it ever did. Peace and serenity...until the next phase in her life. Who knew what that would be? Just another change....  
  


Changing...such an odd phase one goes through. She shrugged her shoulders at the thought. "Changing" left in its aftermath deaths, love, and final truths. Not all bad, but most definitely full of things she decided she could live without. Getting off of her park bench, Kristina began her trek home. With the sun just beginning to set, it was her marker for a new day to come...a new day of trials and new day of what else...changes.  
  


There we go! Now that's the end! I had been reading this over and over for a while and it really wasn't a good ending. Just seemed unfinished. But yeah...now this is the end... I've got some more stories in the works, so if you're interested, chill a while and I'll get them cranked out sooner of later. Peace out!


End file.
